Hero Time
by Monkey D. Funky
Summary: Ben Tennyson finds himself in another world. Another world, where he isn't the only one out there saving lives and fighting villains. But whatever world he is in, it can always be Hero Time.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Worm or Ben 10. This will continue to be the case for the rest of this story.

* * *

Benjamin Kirby Tennyson was falling.

It started when an alien device did what it did. Some alien villain–a cerebrocrustacean if Ben remembered correctly–had a device he claimed would send the famous Hero of the Galaxy into a completely different universe, and lock it down so he could never come back. If that was even how it worked. After all, it was a cerebrocrustacean, not a galvan. Luckily, the villain hadn't understood the importance of defending himself. Or assuring that he could actually insert his target into the portal. Or the importance of not bragging so hard everyone in Undertown heard about his plan. Cerebrocrustaceans never really changed, not even when Ben himself was one.

So after hearing about a dozen shopkeepers in a row tell him about the new villain in town, Ben located the villain's lair, which even _looked_ villainous from the outside. Gwen and Kevin came with him, having happened to be with him for the day for a reunion. After all, no better way to reunite than to once again kick ass together. The villain, shocked at the arrival, attempted to shock them back with his species' electrokinetic blasts.

It wasn't very successful against the wrath of Rath. He was going for Feedback, but wasn't one to complain when the Omnitrix actually gave him a useful heavy hitter. A few punches and suplexes later, the villain was mana-bound by Gwen and ready for detainment.

However, a grave series of mistakes led to Ben's current predicament, falling quite a great height at quite a great speed.

Firstly, he held on to his smoothie, courtesy of Mr. Smoothy, as he began the fight. Because he'd be dead before he'd give up such a delectable treat, villain or no villain.

Secondly, he dropped it while dodging an electric blast. The form of Rath had caused fighting to temporarily take priority over sugary drinks, preposterous as it would seem when he would eventually look back as himself. It spilled on the ground and laid forgotten during the action.

Thirdly, after victory, he didn't look where he stepped, and slipped on the puddle. Careening towards the portal's control panel, he slammed on dozens of buttons, causing a variety of beeps and boops punctuated with a sound not unlike a revving engine and an eerie cyan glow from behind him.

Lastly, he made the mistaken assumption that the villain did not plan for the difficulty of inserting his target into the portal. A massive, vacuuming g ust sucked him directly in. He got a glimpse of Gwen and Kevin losing their footing, but he wasn't sure if they were sucked in as well. Either way, they couldn't save him. Benjamin Kirby Tennyson, in the form of Rath, was sent to an alternate universe that would be unlike any he had previously lived in.

Unfortunately, the exit point of the portal happened to be quite high in the air.

"STUPID WIND, ACTING AS THOUGH YOU CAN TRULY CONTROL WHERE RATH GOES. SEE HOW YOU LIKE A TRIPLE PUNCH TO THE ESOPHAGUS!" He bellowed, enacting the attack he named, impressive despite having something intangible as it's target.

It took him a moment to realize that the wind was no longer from the portal, but rather, the rather extreme rate at which he was approaching the planet Earth.

"SO, YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST PULL ME INTO ANOTHER UNIVERSE, WIND? I'LL SHOW YOU! TAKE THIS!" He gave a spectacular spin kick for one lacking any sort of leverage or ability to change momentum.

"AND YOU TOO, OTHER UNIVERSE! TASTE THE RATH!" He gave an uppercut that would certainly dish out the hurt to any universe in which it occurred, if only universes could feel pain.

By that point, however, it became apparent that there was something towards which he fell. A landscape stretched out beneath him, composed half with land and half with ocean, and a city in between and directly underneath the falling cat.

"SO, IT'S YOU AGAIN, GRAVITY? YOU SHOULD HAVE LEARNED AFTER THE LAST BEATING I GAVE YOU! AND I KNOW IT'S YOU BEHIND IT ALL, PLANET EARTH! RATH IS GONNA MAKE YOU A CRATER SO BIG THAT YOU'LL LOOK MORE LIKE A DONUT THAN A PLANET!" He commenced something reminiscent of a suplex, despite the fact that he wasn't actually holding anything, and he simply ended up upside down.

Head and fists towards the ground, Rath stared at the city below. From what he could tell, he was going to land near the coast, among a group of dilapidated structures. Suddenly, beneath him, he glimpsed a strange duo atop a roof: a young woman and a large man spewing a great deal of fire.

"AWW NO, DEFINITELY NOT A LITTLE GIRL. AIMING FOR THE MONSTER IS WHAT RATH DOES!"

* * *

Taylor Hebert was not having a good day. It wasn't the monotony of school or relentless bullying that put her in such a negative mood. No, it was her choice to go out and try to be a hero, and the subsequent, moronic choice to pick a fight with the draconian gang leader, Lung. She wasn't quite roasted to a crisp just yet, but she was feeling the heat, even at a distance that kept her from being ripped apart by emerging claws.

Lung was an armored, regenerating, _fire-breathing_ villain who could take on entire Protectorate teams solo once he had time to grow. Because the longer you fought, the stronger he got. And Taylor doubted she could take him when he was merely the towering, muscular human. Sure, she did have a power of her own, but controlling bugs wasn't the most helpful for staying alive or hurting an honest-to-god dragon. It may as well have been a Pokémon battle. Bugs got burnt.

It was hubris, she supposed, to think that she could survive attacking the leader of the Azn Bad Boyz. She overheard him ordering his minions to be ready to shoot some kids, and just had to be the big damn hero and try to stop him. Months of planning and biding of time, holding back on her bullies even though she could shut them up in just a few stings, and the countless hours spent constructing her awesome spider silk costume all went to waste with a single kneejerk decision. It was the right thing, for the right reasons, but also a stupid thing for stupid reasons. One more kid he'd get to kill.

The plan was decent, at first. Holed up on a dark rooftop, he wouldn't know just how to fight the sudden assault of bugs. But of course, fate decided Lung's escalating transformation also enhanced his hearing. She nearly had a heart attack when he made it to the middle of the second floor in a single jump.

So there Taylor was, on a rooftop with a dragon, as good as deceased. Stings failed, venoms failed, even the backup pepper spray failed. He slowly approached her, confident for good reason.

Suddenly, Lung perked up. A second later, she knew why. His enhanced hearing had alerted him first to the strange, falling, _screaming_ orange shape above them, though perhaps in a second or two, 'above' would no longer describe it.

That second or two later, the orange shape landed directly on top of the villain, with an impact that destroyed the very rooftop on which they stood.

Taylor Hebert was falling.

And while the object's momentum certainly continued downwards, the crash had lowered its speed, and therefore lessened the doppler effect, enough for Taylor to hear the triumphant shout of "BOOYEAH!"

As strange as it was, it barely registered in her thoughts, her mind being more occupied with the sudden change in velocity, scenery, and noise volume. Though the signals failed to be sufficiently processed, her eyes did record the shape pressing down on Lung before twisting and shooting upwards, a motion which sent the villain hurtling down even faster. Taylor then momentarily lost all sense of gravity or position, before suddenly feeling solid ground beneath her feet once more. She ventured to put her weight on it, and received a satisfying sensation of stability.

A less pleasant sensation arrived when she observed what had saved her. First, she saw large, orange, muscular arms.

She adjusted her mask slightly.

Large, orange, muscular arms on a large, orange, muscular, upright _tiger_.

"ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"

Taylor blinked.

"WHATEVER. JUST TELL ME BEFORE I POUND THAT GUY'S SKULL IN: AM I GONNA BE POUNDING IN THE SKULL OF A BAD GUY?"

A meek nod confirmed it.

The tiger nodded back, the turned towards the building Lung had collapsed in. _Huh_. Taylor had been brought all the way to an adjacent rooftop without realizing it. Having oriented her position relative to gravity and her reason for safety, she began to orient herself within her surroundings.

Apparently this tiger had fallen, landed on Lung, then kicked off of the villain to save her from falling to the ground. The original building was almost entirely rubble, only a few walls left standing. It was lucky Taylor confirmed it to be empty before she chose it as a vantage point; any denizens would have either been crushed, or stuck in the middle of an impending cape fight.

The tiger jumped. "LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, LARGE FIRE DRAGON! RATH IS GONNA HIT YOU SO HARD THAT YOU FORGET WHO HIT YOU, EXCEPT THAT IT WAS RATH!"

Well… he was certainly a character. Perhaps not the brightest, but beggars couldn't be choosers. Taylor considered what kind of hero he was. To assume that he _was_ a hero was reasonable enough; he had saved her, and seemed concerned with what side of the law Lung was on. She hadn't heard of any Changers or monster capes that looked like humanoid tigers, but he could easily have been a new Protectorate transfer. Or hell, he could have been another newbie. She gave humorless chuckle. It was unfair that he got a power which let him stand up to Lung, while she was stuck controlling creepy crawlies. She was only still alive because a miracle falling from the sky, heh. A fight with Lung could have gone so, so much worse.

Still, her power wasn't useless. "Rath", as he called himself, seemed tough, but unless he had similarly escalating powers, he might not be able to win alone. They said Lung had matched _Leviathan_. Some of her swarm may have been burnt, but bugs were harder to take out than one would think. Taylor gathered all within her range and sent them out to assist however they could. Buzzing in Lung's ears, blocking his vision, and above all else continuing to sting him. While he may have been able to soak up much more venom than most due to his growing body mass and regeneration, she was certain a limit existed. And thanks to Rath, she was no longer the gang leader's target.

Bugs working, Taylor then focused on the details of the ensuing fight. Unfortunately, Lung was already look a lot bigger than before, likely due to the presence of an opponent who could fight him directly. Rath was dishing out some impressive strikes, to the point that he seemed more a martial artist than a typical brute. But Lung had the clear size advantage, not to mention metal scales and pyrokinesis.

"Oode fuggahyo!" Lung suddenly shouted, his transformation apparently having altered his vocal chords, enough that he couldn't quite accomplish English anymore. Still, it was easy to decipher as "Who the fuck are you!"

"WHAT'S THE PROBLEM? DOES A CAT HAVE YOUR TONGUE?" Rath replied, stepping off rubble to jump for Lung's head. He extended a large claw from his hand and swung for the villain's head. It was dodged, but not enough, letting it strike the chest instead. "BECAUSE IT WASN'T RATH WHO DID IT!" He finished.

It was hard to judge whether Rath was surprisingly clever or a complete idiot. Taylor leaned towards the latter.

As Lung recovered from the attack, metal scales visibly emerged across his entire body. After a quick roar and a few flames to ward off Taylor's bugs, he swung his clawed left arm towards Rath's feet. But as the hero jumped to dodge, the dragon grabbed a foot and swung, throwing him towards a pile of rubble.

"OH YOU DID NOT JUST DO THAT TO RATH! PREPARE TO HAVE YOUR INSIDES MANGLED INTO YOUR OUTSIDES!" With that, Rath charged again. This time, both collided and slid back, but the tiger noticeably farther. Another burst of flame then prompted an immediate dodge.

Moving back, Rath seemed to decide on a slightly safer strategy. He hefted up a large rock and hurled it towards Lung. It was blocked and broken, but not before three more were in the air.

As Rath continued his ranged assault, Taylor began to worry. It was getting harder and harder to find holes in Lung's armor through which bugs could squeeze. The flames felt hotter and hotter, sometimes killing minions merely by heating up nearby air. And while he could summon flames from all around his body, he was happy to breathe it out of his mouth, thwarting attempts to send bugs in that way. Not the worst problem, Taylor decided. She wasn't particularly happy with the haptic images it sent, basic as bug senses were. Every so often, Lung glanced in her direction. Even though he didn't attack, it freaked her out enough that she ducked.

Rath's situation didn't improve much either. Lung was starting to tower over the tiger, his reach growing longer and his flames hotter. Eventually, he managed to strike so fast that the hero couldn't dodge or parry, both clawed arms striking the torso and sending him straight through a wall. Rath was sprawled on the ground and didn't seem to be easily getting up. Things may not have been able to get worse.

Until something happened, something that seemed to give Rath the idea that they could. The green symbol on his chest began blinking red, with a series of beeps decreasing in pitch. "AWW MAN, NOT NOW!" He complained.

Then blinding green light flashed.

And left there was a perfectly ordinary, probably screwed, human teenaged boy.

* * *

Ben Tennyson was not having a good day.

Now, he wasn't against starting a brand new universe with a fight. Admittedly, with Rath in the picture, he didn't quite have a choice. But one time, that decision led to him meeting an awesome cyborg hero who appreciated the art of mid-fight witty quips. In all the other universes he visited, there was nothing else as cool as that.

But the single thing Ben hated about his fights was that they were often cut short by the cruel time-out function of his watch. If he was still Rath, he would have insisted that with just a bit more time he could have won. But he wasn't any longer, and that let him make two observations a bit too much for that alien form's single-minded brain.

Firstly, his opponent was capable of growing larger and stronger the longer fought. At that point, he was more than a dozen feet tall, covered with spiked metal scales, and shaped like a crossbreed of human and dragon. Secondly, if he was growing to strong for Rath to handle, he was definitely too strong for ordinary Ben to handle. And therefore, the only option that would really serve his needs, needs like staying in one piece and at a survivable temperature, was to run away.

And so he jumped to his feet and did exactly that.

Strangely, however, he was immediately surrounded by a thick cloud of bugs. Thick enough that he couldn't make out the dragon in front of him. Once again, the fact that he no longer possessed an Appoplexian brain in lieu of a human one served him; he connected that observation with several that he had previously disregarded, and pieced together the realization that someone was controlling all of the nearby bugs.

Suddenly, someone shouted. "RUN!"

Swirling to look, Ben found that there was a hole in the swarm, and through it he saw a girl on a roof.

The girl on a roof who he earlier saved from the dragon-man.

The girl on a roof who for some reason was locked in combat with the dragon-man, and still hadn't run away. And who wore a black armored costume, ragged as it seemed.

Well, that made sense.

Wasting not another moment, Ben ran. And not another moment after that, he saw a burst of flame on his previous position. Luckily, the swarm moved with him, as well as in two other directions, successfully hiding his real choice of escape route. The buzzing of the bugs also served to mask his footsteps.

Taking advantage, Ben ran down an alley, then turned a corner down another. A few bugs hit his face, prompting a glare up at the girl again, who shrugged. He glanced down at the Omnitrix, but it was still red. Well, it wasn't the first time he waited for it to recharge while in danger for his life, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

Eventually, he found himself at the end of an alley. He had no idea which or where, but that wasn't a priority. Though if he was in an alternate version of Bellwood, he might be able to figure it out. The odds weren't great, however. He could see the girl at a distance, but she was ducked down and wouldn't give him away. The dragon-man could still be heard, but he didn't seem to know the positions of Ben or the girl. Good. If it wasn't for her, he may not have been able to get away.

"Thanks for the cover!" He shouted.

The girl brought her palm to her face.

After a second, Ben did the same.

The other end of the alley he was in opened up to a larger street. And in the middle of that street, was the dragon-man, huffing and puffing.

Ben got ready to run again. He knew from experience that being big didn't mean being slow. He could only stay away for so long. But it would probably be long enough that the Omnitrix would recharge, and then he could pick an alien even stronger than Rath. Besides, he was at the opposite end of the alley, and it was a thin passageway at that. It would definitely slow down the dragon-man.

Of course, he didn't expect the dragon-man to jump on top of the building. Ben ran. The next alley was safe, but he could hear how quickly he was followed.

Then fireballs started careening towards him. He even had to pick a different route when one turn was entirely blocked by the heat.

After several more alleyways, Ben spared a quick glance back to see how big of a gap he maintained. It wasn't very good. And while looking back, he didn't notice cinder blocks lying on the ground in front of him, or their unfortunate proximity to his feet.

He landed flat on his face.

He didn't need to move to know the dragon-man was right above him. The heat was constant save for some wide gusts he assumed were breaths.

"Hey, dragon-guy. Mind letting me turn around before you kill me? I can't deliver dramatic last words very well like this."

No response. Well, he didn't seem eager to get the murder over with. Ben turned his head up to see the villain several feet away, and not even looking at him any longer. Instead, he seemed to be searching, staring into the darkness in several directions.

Any questions of why were answered when a small explosion appeared on the dragon-man's torso, knocking him back. Ben felt the shockwave, and it left a painful ringing in the ears; enough that he didn't notice when someone landed right next to him.

He was rubbing his head when someone tapped his shoulder and spoke. "Grab on."

A man with an awesome beard and an awesome blue power armor was next to him. He held a long metal rod with a small rope extending to the top of the adjacent building.

When Ben gripped it, he and the man next to him were suddenly yanked up, as the rod ate up the rope and brought them to the roof. Up there was the other end; a bladed shape that, once connected again, revealed itself to be the head of not a rod, but a halberd. Crouching a few feet away was the bug-controlling girl from before, as well as another hero dressed in a red suit, with racing stripes.

"Velocity," The halberd-wielder said. "Search for anyone else in the vicinity. Once we're clear, rendezvous with me."

"You got it, boss," 'Velocity' answered before zooming off in a blur that explained his name. It was a pretty good one, Ben had to admit, though he still preferred XLR8 and Fasttrack.

The bearded halberdier looked back at Ben. Probably glaring, but his eyes weren't visible. His mouth was obscured as well, but it seemed to be in a frown. It was really the posture that gave it away, as well as the gruff tone he proceeded to speak in.

"You two. What did you do that made Lung so strong. He does not get this large save for extremely dangerous fights. The whole team was necessary to deal with this." The point was punctuated by a few more shouts and explosions in the distance.

"Uh," The girl said. "I already told you-"

"I'd like to hear it from him." The girl looked offended, but he wasn't even looking at her anymore.

"Well, I was hanging around, shooting the breeze, when I decided to drop in." He noticed the girl cringe at the pun. Victory.

"I noticed the fire-breathing dragon attacking a teenage girl. Of course, turns out big ugly gets a lot bigger and uglier the more you hit him." His smirk and tone seemed to grate on the older hero, but he showed no sign of backing down.

"You're telling the truth." Came the response, unusually firm. Something else seemed to occur to him a second later. "You implied you weren't aware of the nature of Lung's powers before tonight. Are you from out of town?"

"Sure, you could definitely say that." Ben answered. He was then answered with a sigh.

"I suppose a lot is explained by that. In the case that you are not aware, I am Armsmaster."

"Now," The bearded hero continued, "I can gather that neither of you are currently capable of damaging Lung. Stay here until someone comes back."

While Armsmaster walked away, Ben sat down next to the bug-controlling girl. Beneath the bangs and booms of the nearby fight, he could hear her muttering "Armsmaster. I just met Armsmaster."

"So, how's it going?" But she didn't respond.

He tried again. "So, how're the insects?" Still nothing.

He tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey, Planet Earth to Bug girl? You in there."

That seemed to be enough to wake her up. She winced and shook before looking back at him. After a second's worth of a disappointed look, or so he presumed considering her mask covered her eyes, she answered.

"My name's not 'bug girl', I hope you realize."

"Well then, what do you go by?" Ben asked, it being the logical question. Something told him she wasn't expecting it.

Because as soon as he asked, she looked away, first at the floor, then at the buildings in the opposite direction of her conversational partner. She seemed to slightly squirm, before sighing and supplying a sufficient response.

"Well… I actually… still haven't picked a hero name. I haven't thought of any good ones." To his look of confusion, she explained. "Do you know how hard it is to pick a bug-themed name that doesn't sound either downright villainous or too cheesy to take seriously?"

"Hey, what's wrong with the cheesy?" He protested, given his own preferred naming style.

"Well, as you can probably guess from my costume, I'm not trying to be Mouse Protector."

"Let me try. What about Beetle Brain? Winsect?"

"Okay, to the first, hell no. I thought Ladybug seemed cheesy. To the second, I'd rather not seem like an insect version of Kid Win." That was the second time she dropped the name of someone he presumed to be a Hero. Third, if he counted her mumblings about Armsmaster. Those were weird, though. He could have sworn he heard the word "underwear" somewhere in there.

But anyway, that meant that this world might have had a larger number of active superheroes. Which was _awesome_. Back home it got lonely when Ben was the only hero among a boring bunch of police officers. Even if they were space police. And the only people who showed hints of similar inclinations were losers like Overlord, Kangaroo Kommando, and Billy Billions. Essentially villains, and third-rate ones at that.

So he got a bit excited hearing he might have some contemporaries. Back to the relevant discussion, he already had another name ready.

"You don't want to be ganking someone else's style? Fine. How about Stingsect?"

"As I said, villainous. Plus, I just don't like that one." If Ben didn't know better, he'd say she was getting difficult. And he didn't. She _was_ getting difficult.

"Hmph. Be that way. Because get ready for your mind to be erupted. Your superhero name will be: Hivemind!" And of everything he said so far, it got closest to the reaction he wanted. She actually put her hand to her chin. After a few moments of rubbing, she replied.

"I'll consider it. Anyway, I have to ask. How does your power work? Why the time limit and the… personality change?"

Ben held up the Omnitrix and tapped it. "It's all thanks to this baby. That form in… particular comes with some anger issues, but for the most part I'm like me."

She stared at it. Then began muttering again. Something about "tinker?" was audible. But Ben didn't pay much attention, because at that moment, _finally_ , the Omnitrix beeped, announcing its recharged state.

"Aww yeah!" Ben just had to scream. He pressed it down, revealing the circular hologram. The girl he stood with, whom he had already decided on calling Hivemind, seemed particularly interested. Rotating it, he knew just what alien would be perfect for the situation. He even had a couple of clever, topical lines ready for mid-fight. Slamming down triumphantly, he shouted.

"It's hero time!"

* * *

Taylor was just looking at the possible tinkertech device on the boy's wrist when he twisted it around and slammed on it with a shout.

"It's hero time!"

…

what.

He did _not_ just say that.

Taylor, the entire Protectorate, _Lung_ , and everyone else within the Greater Brockton Bay area glared at him, wondering who in the world would be so stupid that they would choose _that_ for their catchphrase. A full ceasefire for the sake of recognizing a line as idiotic as Endbringers were dangerous.

But when they looked, they didn't see a teenaged boy anymore.

Instead, they saw a huge blue winged bug, with a slender humanoid body in between giant dark wings. The shape almost reminded Taylor of the Simurgh, though it was much smaller, and strangely, less human-like yet still less threatening. Perhaps it was merely the years of conditioning to fear the Endbringer that explained the phenomenon. The bug had blue markings on black across his torso and limbs, large antenna, insectoid eyes, and a strange green and black symbol on it's chest. She didn't realize it before, but that same symbol was on Rath's chest, and a similar pattern had decorated his watch.

" _Big Chill._ " He said, loudly, yet in a whisper. Probably his name in this form. Saying it didn't exactly strike fear into anybody's heart, but his appearance might have. He flew past the gaping Protectorate and over to Lung, who glared again, first at his face, then the symbol below.

"Baahh arh!" The dragon roared.

" _You seem a little hot headed. You should really chill out._ " Big Chill quipped. At first, the onlookers were all confused. Then Lung sent a burst of flames for the hero.

Then Big Chill proceeded to, with his _breath_ , push back the entire burst and cover Lung's right forearm with _ice_. It was thick enough to attach to the torso as well, restricting the villain's motions. His audience would have been impressed if they weren't groaning at the string of puns. Most of them, at least.

"Ha! Nice one! I love this new guy!" Assault shouted, chuckling.

Lung didn't take too kindly to the comment, however. While his flames steadily freed his limbs, he charged. Only for the hero to reveal the second ability of his form.

Lung reached out with his claws for the coming impact with his foe. Unfortunately for him, it never came.

" _Sorry, pal, but you can't hit what you can't touch._ " Big Chill whispered from behind. Behind, where he could promptly freeze Lung's shoulders, constricting his movements even more. Behind, where he got by turning his body _intangible_.

Did he have any more forms beyond the two they'd seen? Because he was already more versatile than most capes.

While Lung tried to free himself yet again, Big Chill flew down to the feet, and promptly froze those as well. While Lung then directed the flames there, Big Chill got his head and neck. Then Lung changed tactics and attempted to strike Big Chill again. In response to which Big Chill went straight through his arms and froze them together.

Though his pyrokinesis was impressive, the gang leader was getting less and less capable of keeping up. Eventually, the hero was taking breaks to attach the ice on the villain to the ground, and even nearby buildings.

Finally, Lung was contained within a veritable glacier that stretched across the entire street. He was barely a blur through the translucent mass, but he was clearly shrinking deep inside.

Taking an opportunity before the few remaining openings were shut, Armsmaster jumped in and thrusted his Halberd into Lung's thigh. Big Chill moved to close those off, then landed on the ground and turned back into a human in another flash of green light.

"I've given him some tranquilizers. That should calm down his powers and let us take him into custody." Armsmaster announced

"Alright, alright," Ben began gloating, "Now, let me stop you all and save you the trouble of saying it yourselves. Yes, that was incredibly cool."

Armsmaster sighed. "Look, we-"

"Ha, 'cool'! Another one! The kid does it again!"

"Assault!" Armsmaster grumbled.

Miss Militia seemed to sense the tension, and stepped in. "We'd like to thank the two of you for your assistance in taking down Lung. If I'm not mistaken, both of you are new to this. Would you mind coming in for debriefing?"

"Er," Taylor mumbled, "It's kind of late, and I have… business tomorrow morning, and..." She didn't think it was fitting to talk about school, not to mention the fact that her dad didn't know she was out, in front of professional heroes.

"That's fine," Miss Militia replied as Taylor trailed off. "Just come in the next day or two. We can also discuss possible recruitment for you two."

Of course. The Wards. That was a can of worms Taylor did not want to pry open again. It was good in theory, but-

"And recruitment to what exactly?" Her reverie was broken when the boy asked his sudden question.

"The Wards program." Armsmaster answered. At the look of confusion he received, he continued. "The safe group for under-18 parahumans to train for heroism?"

It was unusual to see someone unfamiliar with the Wards, but that seemed to be the case with the boy in front of them. Taylor had considered the possibility that he as from out of town, but even in the most remote places in the US, people knew of the Wards. And he was definitely American from the voice alone.

But his face remained just as perplexed, an expression of satisfaction only arriving after several seconds. "Ah, yeah, forgot. No, no thanks. I'm not really interested in that sort of thing. Thanks for offering, though."

Something else seemed to suddenly occur to him. "Oh, and if you don't mind, I need to know something. Have you heard of a chain restaurant called Mr. Smoothy?"

One of the Protectorate heroes answered.

* * *

On that night of April 11th, 2011, it was said that even those in Boston heard the desperate scream of, "NOOOOOOOO!"

* * *

 _Yup, this is the new story I'm starting. I know the Worm fanbase seems to vastly prefer fics where Taylor gets a different power instead of the kind where characters from different stories meet each other. I don't care, I like this kind, and I'm the one writing it._

 _You should review this story. You could say "I loved it!" or "I hated it!" or "I think it's a pretty good start and I'm interested in seeing more!" You don't need to have strong feelings on it to tell me what you thought. Just give me your reaction, because my writing ability feeds off of it!_


	2. Chapter 2

This has been edited in a few places to fit with canon better and put people in character. Most recent edit was on November 14th, and made some changes to the ending.

.

Tattletale was not having a good day. Something, more likely than not her power, gave her the feeling that she wasn't the only one.

Robbing a casino run by the Azn Bad Boys was such a simple job. They ran in, grabbed the cash, and left before any cape in Brockton Bay heard about it. But unfortunately, it was just a little too high-profile for comfort. They were still considerably beneath Protectorate's radar, but not Lung's. And that was very bad. Because when Lung was after you, there were two options: run or die. And those weren't even mutually exclusive.

Of course, as in most situations, there was a third way. Her power was good at detecting those; seeing beyond expectations and preconceptions to find the hidden strategy that led to the optimal outcome. To be honest, this time it was rather obvious, and not even a particularly bad plan. Catch him while he's still planning and hit him hard enough with Bitch's dogs that nobody gets murdered. Maybe pull off an ambush, but at the very least not let one be done to themselves.

It didn't fill her teammates with a great deal of confidence, but nothing would when they were up against the leader of the ABB. It wasn't like they had any ideas of their own, save for Regent, who could safely be ignored while creating any plan that required the slightest sliver of delicacy.

The better part of the day was spent on reasonable, and some unreasonable, discussion, debate, and eventual convincement of the team. There wasn't much better to do, and the anticipation ruined any fun to be had from video games and television. Even the pizza lay largely untouched in the refrigerator.

Finally, it was dark enough that they could leave for the docks reasonably unseen. Out on a raid to conquer the dragon's lair.

Only, to their surprise, the dragon was elsewhere dealing with a few interlopers, leaving the miniboss and only a handful of fodder.

Oni Lee was a dangerous challenge, but he lacked the power to defeat entire cape teams solo that his leader could boast. And when his sight-based teleportation went up against a power to nullify visibility in entire environments, he was a much more manageable threat. Not to mention three brutes who could tank a few grenades with instinct overriding fear, and the neighborhood sociopathic master who could make every clone drop its tactical suicide grenade. Scaring off the ABB's lieutenant wasn't close to the level of the massive raid they prepared for.

But Lung was still out there. And the things Tattletale's power told her were not pretty.

And that was what led to the four Undersiders, on their three dogs, racing towards the other known meeting spot of the ABB. Only to behold minions on the ground, and Lung surrounded by an angry swarm of bugs.

To be precise, an angry swarm of bugs controlled by a newbie cape. And so far, the newbie wasn't doing half bad. With stings from bees and wasps, bites from fire ants and spiders, and just a few puffs of pepper spray, even a monster as massive as Lung might be taken down. If it weren't for the regeneration that hastened for every inch he grew. Furthermore, he'd be growing metal scales any moment, severely limiting the flesh access currently enjoyed by every stinger in the swarm. And as he was already proving, each burst of flame decimated the armed, puny forces. For now, they weren't impressive, but once he really amped up he might be able to annihilate the new cape's entire legion.

Such a strategy would only go far. Lung was growing and nothing would stop him. He would locate her sooner or later, and by that time he'd be as far out of the new cape's league as dragons were to, well, insects. Burnination wouldn't even be necessary; she could merely be stomped on. Worse, it was their fault. Tattletale had already deduced just how the novice hero had gotten herself into that mess. She'd even say-

"Tattletale, you're the one who figures things out. Figure this out." Regent interrupted her thoughts.

Ah. She had almost forgotten, but to the rest, it wasn't a cape fight, but Lung getting mobbed by a buzzing squad of insects.

"Alright," She answered, turning to face her team and extending an arm towards the nearby fight. "What we've got here is a newbie cape on her first night out." She didn't mention that the girl was a hero, because if her power was right, and it usually was, they might be able to change that.

"A cape who controls bugs? Not very impressive." Grue responded.

"I can see a few uses. Anyway, she doesn't expect to even meet another cape yet. So, by the universe's natural laws of luck and fortune, she finds Lung. She's not the boldest one, and does the smart thing, hiding atop a building. She doesn't want to fight, but then she hears what he says to his minions."

Tattletale put on a deep, throaty voice. "Shoot all the children, and if they're dead, shoot 'em again. Don't give 'em any chances."

She returned to her usual tone. "Now, to her, she has no choice. Child murder is bad, and she's a 'Inaction is as bad as participation' kind of type. Of course, considering the reason we came out tonight, we should all be aware that Lung was really talking about:"

The silence was telling.

"Well, what should we do about it?" Regent asked, "Can we go home now?"

"Not our problem anymore." Bitch said.

"You guys don't feel the slightest guilt? It's our fault. And just because she's saved our asses tonight doesn't mean Lung's finished with us." Grue said.

"We're going." Tattletale said.

"What, why?" Regent complained.

"I said before, her power has a few uses. Forget that. There could be a ton. She's a new cape and she's already being pretty damn clever. To be honest, I think the team might be able to use her. Plus, Grue's right. Lung will come back for us sooner or later. Right now, we actually have a bit of an advantage."

Suddenly, Lung roared. It was loud enough to halt anything resembling conversation. Even Bitch's dogs squirmed and barked before their master managed to calm them. As he broke the eardrums of anybody within several dozen yards, Lung jumped to the side of a building, scaling it in less than a second and clearly moving with purpose. Purpose that implied he was looking for something, but he already knew where it was.

"Shit!" Grue said. "Do we agree we're helping her? Then we're going, _now_."

Bitch whistled, and the dogs moved. Tattletale looked out to see the flames. Lung was already on top of the building, and the new cape was on the other side. She was about to think of a quick plan, when something very small, yet very important was noticed by her power.

There was the sound of a voice, one that wasn't there before.

There was the sound of a voice, so distant that it could only barely be detected despite the fact that it was definitely a shout. Lung and the girl he was slaughtering didn't hear it. The buzzing of bugs and burning for flames drowned it out. Even the fellow Undersiders were too focused on the fight in front of them to detect the noise. It was the sort of sound that a friend would alert one too, asking if one could hear it too, and it would only be noticeable with concentration and cessation of distraction.

Or, if one had a power excellent for explanation and currently active. A power that readily informed her that the sound came from something falling.

More out of instinct than interest, she let it go a step further. Her power was already at full throttle, leaving the mental blocks down. Lung throwing flames at a tall, thin girl atop the roof was barely registered to her in the heat of the moment.

 _Hero; falling from very high up._

That caught her attention. She looked up. There _was_ a faint shape just barely visible. And right above it, a light blue flash, lasting just a split second longer before fading away. She didn't notice the girl on the roof trying to climb down a fire escape in vain.

She let her power go even further.

 _Hero; falling from 1200 meters, going to land on Lung, strong enough to challenge Lung._

"Wait!" She exclaimed to her team, "Something's happening! Hold on."

"Tattletale," Grue responded, eyes still glued to the fight, the girl on the ground and Lung gaining on her. "That girl's going to die. We said we'd do it, let's do it."

Bitch nodded. "Let's move in and kill the bastard. Brutus-"

"No, stop! Two seconds, and you'll see why!"

The team obliged, though unwillingly. Lung approached the newbie hero, claws reaching and flames firing.

Then a large, falling, _screaming_ , orange body landed directly on top of the villain, with an impact that destroyed the very rooftop on which they stood.

"The… fuck?" Regent said, as the being they beheld shouted "BOOYEAH!".

Grue turned towards Tattletale. "As much as it pains me to ever say it, I agree with Regent. The fuck just happened to Lung? I think… was that a _tiger_?"

The Thinker, however, was not listening to the questions of her teammates. Nor to the ensuing bickering and dick-measuring contest that sprung from Grue's relatively subtle jab.

 _Tiger-esque form, large muscles, large build; strength greater than Lung's current level. Claws, one on each wrist; capable of cutting steel, extendable and retractable._

No, no, no. That wasn't what she needed. She tried again. Meanwhile, Bitch said something, and the Tiger left the girl on a stable roof, jumping back to his soon-to-be battlefield with Lung.

Tiger-esque form, upright, relatively humanoid; overall biology dissimilar to normal human. Tiger-esque cape not known of; is Changer. Aggressive, single-minded, focused on combat, focused on martial superiority.

"Tattletale, do you think we should move in or not?" Grue asked, firm enough to grab her attention. Bah, just when she was getting something good. She needed more information.

"No, let's stay put. I'm Thinking. Just watch, and definitely don't interfere. This isn't our fight anymore." She answered.

 _Form focused on martial superiority; normal form not. Form changes personality. Form not preferable for that reason; has other forms; has many other forms. Current form's strength insufficient for beating Lung in less than 90 seconds; other forms capable of beating Lung._

Well, that was powerful. She definitely made the right choice in hanging back. She could enjoy the safety of being far away from Lung, while getting some very interesting information on Brockton Bay's newest cape. Because everything gathered so far was considerably valuable. And soon enough, they could skedaddle before they got caught in the crossfire between two giants. It was nice being part of a team good at escapes.

In the current moment, however, she needed another angle. Her power could give her a flood of answers, but only if she knew how to ask. She needed something to focus on, something that wouldn't give her another list of things with no meaning. Lung wouldn't help, being mostly a known quality. Fighting styles weren't relevant to what she needed. And the new girl, confused as they were, wouldn't tell them a thing about the tiger. No, she needed something else. Something like…

The conspicuous green, metallic symbol on the Tiger's chest. Oh, how Tattletale wished her power protected her from occasional spells of density.

 _Symbol present on chest; related to transformation. Present on all forms; is control button. Current form's biology unconventional. Current form's bone structure dissimilar to human and tiger. Current form unrelated to Earth life. Current form evolved separately; current form evolved on different planet; current form alien species. Other forms alien species._

That was… something. She would call Tinkertech bullshit, but not even Tinkers had access to Alien DNA. She didn't even think anybody knew there were aliens. In fact, she did a quick check with her power!

 _At least one alien currently on planet Earth._

This was going to be a whole new headache. There were aliens. Real aliens, and many types strong enough to beat a parahuman as powerful as Lung. Out of instinct and amazement, she looked up into the sky. Up there, there were other sentient species, with planets and lives of their own, maybe even capes. But then again, they could apparently get strong enough to rival the stronger capes without any buffs. Up there, the whole universe had to be filled with them..

 _Current form does not have flight. No planes in vicinity. Current form previously in air due to portal, portal responsible for slight glow earlier._

...Fuck

Words failed, so she spent the better of five seconds staring off into space. Up into space, rather. The space of her universe, where there were aliens, and one just came to Earth through a portal.

"Tattletale," Regent said nervously, breaking her reverie. "I know how your face when you've got your Thinking cap on, but Lung is looking pretty big…"

She shook herself. "Right. We should move out. No point in staying here. Besides… yup, the Protectorate's gonna show up pretty soon. They don't like Lung when he's angry."

"I'll trust your judgement," Grue said, "I don't think this conflict is about us anymore. Back to base."

"And we didn't even have much fun," Regent joked, "Well, we did send Oni Lee to cry to his mommy…"

* * *

Back at the base, Brian and Alec played video games. Not entirely stress-free, but contrary to earlier in the day, they were at a point where gaming could distract them. As usual, Alec twitched Brian's fingers whenever he needed the advantage, while Brian mentally told himself covering the screen with darkness wasn't worth it, if it meant stooping to the other's level.

Meanwhile, Rachel groomed Brutus, having already finished Angelica and Sirius. She hadn't said a word aloud in at least an hour, but if one knew her they would know the neutral expression she wore conveyed satisfaction.

And in her room, Lisa argued with their boss. Sure, the bug Master was a maybe. She wanted to be a hero, but she definitely had some issues, and could be swayed if they were decent people to her. Plus, she'd like the money. People either denied it to their deathbeds or believed it was the only truth, but the reality was that cash changed people's minds. Especially when they needed it.

But she had seen enough. The Changer was too dangerous. Too powerful. And as she realized as they left, way too heroic. Sure, they could try to approach him. She doubted he'd even try to catch them. But they would never be able to recruit him.

She hung up her phone angrily. It didn't feel very angry to tap the touch screen, so she slammed it on her nightstand. Much more satisfying. Almost orgasmic.

She sat down. In the end, the night wasn't a failure. At the very least, they built up some cred against Oni Lee. And they didn't have to go up against Lung. Worst case scenario; the new capes make some changes in the scene of Brockton Bay. It wasn't anything they couldn't work around.

She glanced out her window.

A cyan light flashed high in the sky.

She didn't need her power to know it was the same light that flashed when the Tiger fell in from another universe. She activated it anyway.

 _Cyan light; emanating from intense energy expenditure; emanating from dimensional anomaly; emanating from portal._

"Shit!" She raced to the window, pulling it open and sticking her head out. If was distant, but energy seemed to be swirling, coalescing into a sphere. It briefly showed a static image. She saw a… warehouse, or something. There were several strange devices visible.

 _Alien devices._

But there was… a humanoid silhouette. It was moving, yet not moving, falling through the portal yet frozen in time.

 _Human coming through portal; powered; from same place as previous cross-dimensional hero._

Her nose pressed into the window. On second thought, she slid it open and stuck out her head. There was a human, and yet there was alien tech. She had used her power a bit more, and there definitely wasn't any of that on Earth before.

 _Portal comes from alternate universe._

Fuuuuuck. No, there wasn't time to be shocked. This portal was open to be fully opened.

Once again, her power was vital for noticing things. The distant speck, black, yet briefly reflecting moonlight, was exactly the man they were looking for.

Lisa aimed her power at one more specific thing. A detail of the newcomer to her earth. A long shot, but why not.

She got something nice.

Bursting through the doorway, she nearly dented the opposing wall. The sudden noise stole the attention of of her teammates, not to mention Rachel's dogs.

"There's another portal, not far away! Let's get going!"

"You serious?" Grue asked.

"We getting another tiger-man?" Regent asked.

"Something like that. We've got to get to where he's landing." Lisa scrambled for her shoes and a coat. It was a chilly night, and-

She slapped her forehead. "Shit! Costumes! I'd prefer to get there quick… Rachel! Throw on your mask and get to the corner of Conch street and Coral avenue. The guy's gonna land there; tell him to wait, and that we have an offer he can't refuse."

"Fine." Rachel answered, before whistling to her dogs and grabbing some shoes.

"Is this guy really so important? Another cape doesn't have to be such a huge deal. Especially at this time of night." Brian said.

"I can't say for sure, but I'm pretty damn sure he'll be a perfect addition to our team." Lisa answered.

Rachel went out the door with her dogs. The canines could be heard outside as their master's Master power enlarged them, then as they charged to their destination, the spot at which the new cape would land.

There was silence for a few moments. They slipped into their costumes.

"Aww yeah!" Alec suddenly shouted. From the couch. Where he had his hands in the air and a game controller on his lap, and his dirty shoes on the coffee table. Where he was not getting ready.

"Regent, tell me why the fuck you're not suiting up." Brian growled.

"Check it out! This is what you get when you leave in the middle of the game, loser!" On the screen were large, flashy letters reading ' **99x COMBO: SUPER MEGA ULTRA KO!** ' Alec's character was in a victory pose, while Brian's lay defeated, HP bar as empty as his emotions after the pathetic defeat.

Alec looked up into the eyes of his teammates, and he saw hatred.

* * *

Soon enough, the team was ready, costumed up and head throbbing in Regent's case. Tattletale lamented the fact that they sent Bitch out with all of three dogs. Thinkers weren't meant to run. It wasn't right.

Did she deserve to be rushed by her teammates as revenge for rushing them while still in the apartment? Nah, this was just fate being mean.

Huffing and puffing but trying to hide it, she saw the unmistakable silhouettes of Bitch's dogs and their lone rider on a roof in the distance. They looked straight down upon the corner of Conch and Coral. Tattletale wondered if her power was wrong. Her teammate should have been able to see the newcomer already. Hell, she should have been right on top of him. Maybe there wasn't a street lamp to illuminate the positions of any suspicious characters.

But Bitch should have arrived long before they did. Just what was she doing still up there? It was suspicious enough that Tattletale used her power.

It told her what Bitch was doing.

"Dammit, Bitch!" The Thinker exclaimed, right as her teammate's command of, "Hurt!" rung through the night. Three dark shapes disappeared behind the building as the beasts likely charged to maul. Not the welcoming welcome Tattletale planned. Perhaps not even something she could work with.

"Of fucking COURSE she has to pull this now. Move it! We've got to stop her from screwing this up."

"What's she doing?" Grue asked, as they ran for the impending battle. "Why, I mean."

"She doesn't want to share the pay. She doesn't want new people in the group that aren't necessary. She thinks we've been fine so far, so she's decided to pick a fight with the transdimensional fellow to make sure he's worth it."

"...We are going to have a talk with her."

"Right. Now, as soon as you can cover them with you darkness. I don't want to see a thing of either of them. Hopefully we can stop any immediately blows and switch to talking. Now, Regent. I don't care if she's our teammate, trip _her_ up if that's what it'll take to interrupt this fight."

The rest of the dash was silent save for the steps they made. As they gained on the sounds of clashing strikes, worry filled Tattletale. If only she paid attention to what Bitch was thinking before they left. Of course she wouldn't listen to the bare bones instructions she got.

They turned the corner. The dogs were getting punched by a stone boy with large arms.

Brutus was embedded in the rubble of a nearby wall. Judas was next to him but considerably more upright and snarling. Angelica was currently the one getting punched.

"Why! Can't! You! Just! Stay! Down!" The boy shouted. His left arm shifted from an oversized fist to a spiked mace.

Well that would be excellent. Brute, plus possible changer. Now to un-fuck up this fucked up situation.

"Grue, now!" She shouted. He obliged. Physical darkness flowed out of his body, spreading over the stone boy's face before his expression could be could be punctuated with any exclamation. If they were lucky, that would be enough to halt the rhythm of combat and talk things out.

"Wait, I don't think any of them can see but Angelica is about to-" Grue exclaimed, before the boy abruptly shot out of the darkness and hit the base of a street lamp. It flickered, but stayed on.

"Wow, lucky hit." Regent remarked.

The boy rubbed his head and leaned up. "Darkness… that's new. See how those monsters like this." He stuck his hands on the telephone pole. From the points of contact, a wave spread across his skin and clothes, changing the surface from stone to metal. "Ugh… steel'd be better, but whatever."

Grue made a movement to cover him in shadow again, but Tattletale raised her hand to stop him. "Don't need to do that indefinitely or anything. Hold off unless it's necessary."

As she spoke, however, the boy perked up, looking very, very frustrated. "Aww, man, more of you? I'm getting sick of this."

He smashed his arms into the ground, embedding his fists underneath. Confused at what he intended, Tattletale used her power.

"..Uh oh. Regent, can you interfere? I don't like where he's going with that." She asked.

"Something's weird about his biology. It feels… inhuman, and that's not even counting how weird it is that he's made of metal." He answered, before flicking his elbow. There was a noticeable twitch in the left metallic arm, but nothing that stopped it from slowly raising the asphalt, still connected to its flatter areas. It groaned in a rocky way one usually heard only next to sounds of machinery. With a small grunt, the metal boy hoisted it, arms extended toward the sky.

"How… do you like this?" He growled out, before taking a step back and, with gusto, slamming the road back to where it belonged. The impact made a loud bang, followed by a steady rumble as the asphalt formed a massive physical shockwave.

The Undersiders could have dodged long before their ferrous friend was ready, but it never sank into any of their heads that he was really going to attack that way. A physical shockwave was… unconventional, when most brutes would be picking up bits of the road to throw. It didn't trigger many warning instincts, which would have protected them. Jumping at the last moment would do nothing. And it didn't.

Three teenaged villains, down but not out.

Metal-boy's hand started changing again, exaggerating the shape of his fist into a hammer. He jumped over the cracked road he just created and ran towards the aching Undersiders.

Mid-stride, something snatched him out of the air. His torso was engulfed by the maw of a large, angry dog. Judas has managed to figure out that metal-scented moving objects needed to be crushed, dooming the fate of any cars it would encounter in the following weeks.

"Agh! Bad dog!" He hammered its face, but without proper leverage it failed to free him.

"Shut the fuck up!" Bitch screamed, having escaped the darkness not four moments before. "You don't fucking tell my dogs when they are and aren't bad!"

As Bitch whistled for her other dogs, Grue picked himself up and rushed forward while Judas ran the metallic menace into a brick wall. He threw up a cloud of darkness around the point of impact, and stormed in. Judas soon came trotting out, head tilted in confusion, then nothing.

No sound was heard, but through the ground Tattletale felt a vibration. Finally, the shadows dissipated. The metal boy was no longer metal, now in a black shirt, blue jeans, and a hold that pinned him to the wall. His arms were thick but not toned, and evidently not strong enough to rip himself out of Grue's grip. Grunting, he turned his head from the wall, his right eye becoming visible. The color was as dark as his hair.

Regent took initiative, for once, and stepped up as he twirled his electric scepter. He activated it to showcase the charge, intending dramatic effect, but Tattletale stepped in his way. "No need to escalate this with further conflict. Remember, that's not why we're here."

"Oh, yeah?" The formerly metal boy spat out, "Mind telling me just why you had to pick a fight? I can't help but doubt this was all because of some huge misunderstanding."

Nobody answered. Bitch scowled at that fact, but stayed shut.

"Seriously? You've got to be kidding me."

Grue let go and backed off. The boy shook himself and flexed his neck, then turned to face the villainous team. "Then why did your friend, here-" He gestured to Bitch, "-Have her dog-beasts attack me?"

Bitch bared her teeth, but still stayed quiet. Tattletale responded instead. "She decided she wanted to see if you were tough enough–which was _not_ why we came out here to greet you. We're sorry for that. Truth is, we just want to talk to you."

He shook his head, then sat down on a large broken rock. "What's so important that you just had to be my welcoming committee?"

"Don't you want a place to stay?"

Just as he was making himself comfortable, he twisted himself to look. "How would you know I need that?"

Tattletale shrugged. "Portal shows up in sky. Guy falls out of portal, screaming. I don't think you're at home here."

"Then why-" He gestured to Bitch, "-did your friend here attack me with her creatures?"

"She has an issue with not wanting to work with people who aren't strong enough. Look, I'm sorry. I can tell you're alright, and believe it or not, I don't want to leave you out in the cold."

He looked at her. Even with a mask on, she stared back impressively. "Then just what is it you want from me?"

"Why don't we continue this on the way to our place. It's chilly here. By the way, you can call me Tattletale."

"I can see why," He grunted. Then, he extended a hand. "Allow me to introduce myself. Kevin E. Levin."

Expressions of confusion passed over the faces of the Undersiders. Regent spoke up. "Wait, the fuck? Kevin Eleven? That's what you call yourself?"

Kevin slammed his fist into his forehead. "DAMN it! I meant Kevin Levin! Levin! It's my name!"

"That's… not much better. Basically sounds the same." Grue remarked.

"Just… shut up." Kevin said.

* * *

 _Anyway, it's finally done. Sorry it took so long. I'm glad Chapter 1 got such a positive response._

 _The original plan was to pick up with Ben immediately and save Tattletale's chapter for later. However, I went with this because I didn't want to write what Ben immediately does because it's hard and everything I tried didn't work. I feel that this chapter lets me get away with skipping straight to the next day for Ben, next time. Already started work on that, with the plot generally outlined in my head. So hopefully, it will come a bit quicker._

 _I noticed I didn't do Velocity's personality right in Chapter 1. I mean, he had one line, but it was wrong. His personality wasn't specified much in canon, but Wildbow once specified a few details, and I wasn't aware of them at the time of writing. Think it's worth going back to change it?_

 _Can you spot all of the Spongebob references? Probably. They're not the subtlest. I'd ask you to spot the One Piece reference, but sadly that was phased out in the editing._

 _Anyway, question time. This won't be an immediate thing, but as we get into the story, do you think Ben should keep his identity secret, or public? This is not a poll; to me, reasons have more weight than quantity._

Edit: **To all the people who still keep saying I messed up Tattletale's power: I am fully aware, and I plan on getting around to fixing it eventually. I'm just really lazy.**


	3. Chapter 3

_New chapter, yo. It's not quite as long as the last two, and I'm not particularly pleased with it. Particularly the end parts. But I've decided to just post it and move on, so I can focus on the future. Plans for Chapter 4 and many other things are moving along nicely._

.

Ben Tennyson awoke. He silently reveled in the awesomeness that was his Sumo Slammers dream, before it hit him that the room he was in was not his own.

The room was dark, but the light was blinding. That didn't make sense. He rubbed his eyes, and saw that the curtains were parted just enough to let the late morning sun glare into his pupils. The rest of the room was shadowed. Pulling the covers off, he stepped into the rough carpet.

He flipped the light switch. The ceiling flickered dimly, but failed to make the room remotely comfortable. Sighing, he switched it off and opened the curtains. He sat on the bedspread, facing away from the sun's irritating rays.

Why was he in what was clearly a sleazy hotel room? The furniture screamed cheapness. The bed barely dipped under his weight, the desk was scratched all over, and the lamp was ugly. He even saw a cockroach scuttling about in the corner shadows. Scratch that, three cockroaches. And probably hundreds more beneath the floorboards and between the walls. Unusually, the three were moving side by side, straight along the wall. He'd call them in formation if they didn't split up a moment later. Still, for an instant or two, it was like they were being controlled by the girl from last night...

That was what happened last night! He met that bug-controlling girl! Hivemind, he dubbed her. Right after he tripped on a smoothie and fell through the portal, landed on and fought a dragon, and turned back into a human thanks to the stupid Omnitrix's time out. He had a little chat with her right after that. Then, he went Big Chill and froze the dragon, and talked to some of the local superheroes.

And after that, he left, only to realize he had nowhere to stay. If he hadn't had some decent cash in his wallet, even the sleazy hotel wouldn't have been an option.

Caught up with his past, Ben stood up triumphantly. There was no reason to be standing, so he sat back down.

He reviewed it again, hand on chin. There was a lot to think about, but only two of them were to be worried about. Firstly, he was stuck in a parallel universe. Not for the first time, of course. Nor was it the first time that he saw no easy way home. He had to admit, the last few escapes were only thanks to luck. But things would probably turn up; they always did.

He hoped.

This wasn't just bad luck. There was a villain responsible. And in the middle of that villain's boring evil speech, Ben remembered a line about locking down the universe in which he would get sent. Or maybe the entire multiverse he was in, whatever that meant. He was pretty sure there was supposed to be only one multiverse. He would have to go Grey Matter and take a look, with some fancy device the alien would likely know how to make. His Galvan form was no Azmuth, but certainly no Blukic or Driba.

Really though, he'd expect Professor Paradox to pick him up sooner or later. Some kind of interdimensional lock couldn't stop the time-traversing intellectual. But if he didn't...

Ben sighed. He knew Paradox. If he didn't show up to rescue him, that meant there was something Ben was _meant_ to do here. Couldn't the fellow just ask?

Well, doing great things was in the hero's job description. No time to waste, but tons of time to be out on the prowl for evil to thwart. He couldn't save the world from a cheap hotel room. It was Hero Time, though he spared the shout.

His stomach rumbled.

It was breakfast time! And what better time was there to see the new universe' selection of chili fries and smoothies!

.

There was only one thing he could say about it. The new world _sucked_. A piece of his head said he was venting his frustration, and unfairly so. Nuts to that; it wasn't even his own. The new universe sucked.

It was the perfect place. A colorful sign with large, friendly letters. Outdoor seating, fenced off from the rest of the boardwalk. The menu in the window spoke of a famous, enormous burger that one could have free if one could merely finish. Ben didn't actually care to try, but it was pretty cool. More importantly, it spoke of delicious chili fries and tasty smoothies. Oh, he had thought, was this a parallel world, or heaven?

But a foolish collision with an unyielding door made him look again. And there it was. The sign that said Fugly Bob's hours of operation began at _lunchtime_.

With a slump in his step, Ben found his way to a generic cafe farther down the boardwalk. At least it shared the ocean view. The squawking gulls weren't quite as pleasant, but that was true along the entire coastline.

He ordered a juice and muffin. When they came, they tasted surprisingly normal. When an ordinary taste is shocking, one knows they have been spending too much time in Undertown, where any innocent-seeming chili fry might secretly be an alien worm.

Sitting and munching, he considered what else was important. The second thing to think about, from the night before. There were heroes here. It bore repeating how awesome it was. It was awesome.

Teams of heroes, with leaders, strategies, tactics, and combination attacks! But also procedures, chains of command, due processes, paperwork, and bureaucracy.

He had to decline. There was too much of that in the Plumbers, and he'd get out as soon as he could. Though he wouldn't say no to allies. Building his own team might be a good idea. He couldn't even count how many times Gwen, Kevin, Grandpa Max, or Rook saved his behind. Maybe Hivemind would like to join him. She said she was new, and didn't seem to be with the professionals.

He finished his food, paid, and left.

The city streets came close to feeling like home. It definitely wasn't Bellwood, but it had the same location and general geography. Every few streets he would see an alley or sign or corner that just felt so familiar, even if he couldn't explain why. Few of the landmark structures were recognizable, and the fancier skyscrapers were nothing like the ones he knew. Not in appearance, or even location. The Plumber HG was also definitely missing, as was Grandpa Max's shop, which seemed to be a haberdashery in this reality.

For the most part, he could see the differences. He was sorry to say it, but the streets were dirtier. The cleanest area, the boardwalk, had guards within sight along the entire way, wearing imposing outfits and angry stares. Bellwood definitely didn't have or need that.

Nor did it have neighborhoods that looked completely abandoned. Ben didn't have so much pride that he would say Bellwood was perfect, but even its slums had people living, and making do. Not making doodoo, as it seemed people did here judging by the smell of certain alleyways.

It wasn't Bellwood and that was clear, especially once he saw the large sign that read 'BROCKTON BAY CENTRAL PUBLIC LIBRARY'. Bellwood was a fine name for a city, but he didn't take offense.

A library. That just might be exactly what he needed. Not for the books, but for the computers. They would be free to use.

He glanced around. First to the streets around him. There were no immediate hero obligations. Then to the skies, where there was no sign of an alien invasion, or any general large threat.

Late morning, and he had nothing to do. Why not learn a thing or two about this universe?

.

Taylor Hebert walked away from school. She didn't have anyplace to go, but still a place where she couldn't stay.

Emma and eight of her cronies cornered her in the hall and spat out insults like monkeys throwing their stool. No purpose but fun, and no empathy for how the target might feel. Or maybe that was unfair to monkeys. She wasn't even sure if that was actually a thing monkeys did, much less how they felt about it.

It didn't take long for the anger to wear off. After so many months, it rarely stuck around. What Emma said hurt, and what Mr. Gladly ( _not_ Mr. G, stupid jerk) did gave her a blend of indignance and hopelessness. And that was why she left.

God, she was too tired for it. There was already enough on her mind before all this bullshit. It was no groundbreaking epiphany. Emma was a bitch, Mr. Gladly was useless. Shocking.

The real thing worth pondering was the event responsible for her lack of energy. The cape fight she participated in.

It had put a damper on Taylor's mood to find out that when Lung talked about killing kids, he was probably referring to some teenage cape team that had recently robbed the ABB. Still, she helped capture Lung! Kind of helped, she supposed. To be honest, she didn't make much of a difference. In the presence of some of the strongest capes in the city, plus the insane transforming boy, it was clear just how small bugs were. And not in the physical sense. Well, in _a_ physical sense, but not one that was size.

At least she started the fight. Wow, that was a weird sentence to think. She felt dumb for rushing to the defense of criminals, but ultimately it was an important event that helped lead to Lung's arrest. Probably. She still didn't understand the deal with the tiger, and eventually boy, falling from the sky.

Truly a weird night. It only made sense for some abnormalities to pour over into day. Earlier, after quickly finishing a programming assignment, she spent her computer science class on the Parahumans Online site. While the info on Lung's capture by the Protectorate and two independent heroes was satisfying, what stuck with her was a mysterious message titled 'Bug'. It thanked its unnamed recipient for assistance the night before.

To most, it meant nothing. To her, it meant there was someone she helped. It was signed Tt, and sure enough a search for the Undersiders, the team in conflict with Lung, revealed it had a member named Tattletale.

Taylor honestly didn't know what to think. There was no impression to associate the show of gratitude with. Ultimately, it probably didn't matter. This kind of thing probably happened all the time with capes. The public wouldn't know, obviously, but she'd probably encounter it more and more as she grew in experience.

She arrived at the Brockton Bay Central Public Library. There wasn't really anywhere else to go, and the Library was a place where one could sit and stay for hours with something to occupy the mind. She'd like to think she'd find some literature and enrich herself, but odds were she would end up browsing the PHO forums for hours. She sighed.

Inside, the place was as it always was. Massive and architectural, and crowded too. On the second floor was an arrangement of computers. They were new two years ago, but that was better than Taylor's own. There was a short line for the next available one, but the popular hours were already waning. Before long, there was one near a corner and nobody waiting ahead of her. The unoccupied computer was on a square desk, one across from it and taken by a brown-haired boy. Paying no mind to her lack of total privacy, Taylor sat down and pondered what to do. Maybe she wasn't reading a book, but there were so many amazing things one could accomplish with the power of the internet, and in a calming, quiet environment like the one she was in.

She opened the PHO forums.

There wasn't much interesting going on. No messages, of course. She checked the forums. That odd message from "Tt" had a few more comments, all of them calling out those who suggested it had any meaning. The thread on Lung's capture had speculation on the unknown independent capes. Unknown to those civilians, at least. Oh, that was satisfying. Some were saying it had to be a mega-brute capable of outdoing even Lung, though others claimed that was unlikely, and it had to be some sort of striker or shaker with powerful effects. A couple did say master, but they assumed it to be mind control. And one said it had to be the Simurgh. He was banned for two days. Apparently not his first time.

Interestingly, a few others suggested that she and the other new cape were a new duo. Not a bad guess with the information they had, but in the end, false. That was the first time she saw the boy, Ben, he was called, and maybe even the last. Well, they'd probably run into each other again on the job. And she did see his face. Maybe, if she kept an eye out for people with brown hair and green jackets, she'd…

Brown hair and a green jacket. Like the boy sitting at the computer across from her.

It couldn't be…

Lots of people had brown hair, and there were jackets of that sort all around Brockton Bay. There was also the watch. Ben could probably just take it off when not out and about, but…

She leaned to the right. The boy's arm was resting on the desk. Just a little farther, and she saw … the exact watch.

That design could be everywhere! It was obviously tinkertech, so maybe it was disguised as a common brand. Sure, she had never seen it before, but she was no watch salesman.

There was a much, much simpler test. She rose from her seat, rear separating from the chair, just enough to glance over his monitor.

It was the same face.

Well… that boy had changed form! Maybe he could change his face too, and disguised himself as some random civilian! It had to be, because anything was more likely than her sitting directly across from the exact same cape she met the night before, who was strong enough to defeat Lung!

As she sat back down, the boy who definitely wasn't 'Ben' stretched his arms back, then suddenly sat up. Taylor lowered her head and thrust it closer to the monitor's glow. Within a moment, he was on his way to the nearby men's room. His computer, of course, was unwatched.

A part of her brain scolded her for what she was about to do. But Taylor had long since learned to shush that part. It was what told her not to make her costume, not to plan for using her power, and not to go out and fight crime. So she shut it up and scurried around the desk, to see just what not-Ben was looking at.

What struck her first was just how many tabs were open. They filled the top of the screen so much that only a word or two was visible on each. Nearly each one a wiki page on PHO, they ranged from the Triumvirate to the Endbringers, to the Empire Eighty-Eight to Power Classifications.

But the tab he currently had open was a forum page. Up in the right corner, she saw his account name. " **Ben10son** ".

Ben from last night's last name was Tennyson. Taylor was about to judge herself for denying it so feverishly. But interrupting that, she remembered, Ben10son was the one in the Lung thread suggesting that one of the independent capes was a changer. She had glossed over it before, but now it was obvious. What an idiot. At least he didn't suggest that the other independent cape was a bug-controlling master. Luckily, he was called out by commenters for having no evidence.

Satisfied and not wanting further risks, Taylor scrambled back to her own computer. The perfect crime. No one would be the wiser. Except for maybe people with eyes. At least she didn't stay long enough to be seen when Ben came back from the bathroom. Though she suspected she might have been cutting it close.

...

Twenty minutes later, he finally emerged.

.

Ben apologized to the gods of books for doing that in a public library bathroom. That was probably how libraries worked. He wasn't the most frequent patron. Anyway, he wasn't going to visit _that_ cafe again.

Arriving back at his computer, he went back to the article he was reading earlier. The Triumvirate seemed like a pretty cool team. Though he could definitely take them, he was sure.

Huh, he had a message on the forum. Clicking on it, it appeared to be from a user named… Hivemind? Could it be? That girl from last night must have noticed his username on the forums! He rushed to open it and read the contents.

 _Hello, Ben._

 _I'd like to thank you for your assistance with regard to matters last night. Your capabilities were vital for apprehending Lung. If I could guess, it would seem you are relatively new to Brockton Bay. Though I have not been in the business for long, I would be happy to help if you need information from a native who's actively fighting crime at the moment._

 _Regards, Hivemind._

The most unbelievable things were always right before one's eyes. An amazing stroke of luck. Not only that she'd give him a hand, but she actually kept the name he suggested! Score one for Tennyson in the names department! Score 62, really.

.

Taylor wouldn't say she was discouraged, but it felt kind of silly to have spent so long fine tuning her message, only for the response to come less than a minute later. She did time just how many seconds PHO lagged, though, having refreshed her inbox as soon as she heard what was probably Ben clicking send.

 _Hi, hivemind. that'd be great. we should hero together sometimes. hey, sorry if it's rude but do you know anyone who's fought an endbringer? what're they like?_

 _ben_

That was a weird question. Rather than worry about what it all meant, she began typing a quick response.

 _I'm afraid I don't know anyone who has. I would be happy to work with you, however. I should be patrolling again by the next weekend. Perhaps we could meet in order to work as a team, for safety's sake._

 _Regards, Hivemind_

It seemed good enough. Consistently proper with the previous message, getting across the correct sentiment. She could certainly improve it further, but she supposed promptness would aid her impression more than whatever she might add. She had already taken five minutes.

Taylor clicked send, and looked to Ben. He wasn't there.

She whirled around. Near the exit, a green coat beneath a brown-haired head. He was gone.

What in the world was he leaving so promptly for?

.

 _So, there it is. I think it's pretty meh as a whole, especially the last few parts, but whatever. We'll get to much more exciting things after this. Like Ben actually fighting. Haven't had that since Chapter 1. Review it and stuff, since you'll either confirm that this chapter is weak, or surprise me and actually like it._


	4. Chapter 4

_Howdy, y'all. New chapter is finally here. Sorry it took a bit._

 _Read and enjoy!_

* * *

Ben Tennyson raced back to the hotel. Because he left his keys there.

Maybe the compatible door was a universe away. Maybe they'd be useless to any sort of thief. Maybe he could get a new set as soon as he returned home.

But his mom had warned him that if he lost them one more time, there would be consequences. And she could get scarier than Vilgax himself.

Luckily, the place was already within sight. Impending doom made for a hasty pace. The place was an old two-story building, with outdoor entrances to each room. Stairs and small balconies led to those on the second floor. Never mind that they looked ready to fall apart. And sounded so too, as he scaled them to reach his former room.

He reached the door. He grabbed the doorknob. As it was locked, his efforts were futile. Bad day for Ben Tennyson's interactions with doors.

A tall, skinny man staffed the front desk. He turned his head as Ben approached, but his glazed eyes didn't move a millimeter. For a moment Ben stopped and looked back, but broke quickly enough. The man could have won a staring contest with a statue.

Ben's request was met with a grunt of approval, followed by a shuffling for the keys in a drawer. They silently walked to the room, and he stood by the door as Ben entered. He stayed there, watching, but by the next time Ben looked back, he had disappeared.

The room was as he had left it. Disheveled, for the most part, but not all was his fault. The curtain was closed again, this time properly. He recalled closing them before he exited. Now, he turned on the lights, but they flickered as they always had. The lamp it was, not to imply there was choice. Only one side of the room was lit bright enough for him to search. Opening the curtains again might have illuminated it further, but not as much as in the morning. The sun had moved above. Lazily, he left them shut.

He spun and surveyed the room. All he knew for certain was that he set them down on the desk almost as soon as he begun his stay.

The bed was the first step. The messy folds of the sheets were labyrinthine, and the thin comforter wasn't too neat either. Not to mention ugly. So he dug through them, and flattened them out too for good measure. No luck.

Any other bed-related possibilities? Underneath was one, but he'd resort to it later. He switched to the corners.

The keys were not behind the waste bin, and there was no recycling bin he could check behind. Not hidden below it, either. The corner was empty. Next along the wall, the desk. The top was barren save for the lamp, and the drawers revealed only a torn, bruised Bible.

He glanced underneath. The desk was low enough that he'd have to crouch. And the light didn't reach there, for obvious reasons. Oh well. He got on his hands and knees, and lowered his head.

It was dark, and the underside of the desk housed a fair share of gum. He crawled forwards, before stopping as something slightly sharp jabbed into his right palm.

He slowly raised his palm.

It might have been it.

"Woohoo!" He shouted, keys retrieved, before bumping his head with a bang. "Ow."

He rubbed the brand new, painful wound. Oh, that would be fun to have. The pain slowly subsided as he scooted out from under the desk.

"-fucking told you guys I heard something!"

Someone was speaking. Ben twisted to face the source, and found it came from the direction of the window.

"Craig, you dipshit. This ain't just a hideout. It's a fuckin' hotel. There's just some customer doing retarded customer shit."

Voices laughed. Ben moved towards the window, ducked down and careful not to shake the curtains. If he guessed right, these guys were part of a gang.

"Fuck you guys. Nobody ever tells me this shit. They just said to meet at this damn address."

"Shut the fuck up, four eyes, or else-" Someone said loudly, before Craig cut them off.

"Nobody tells me anything! It's all figure it out, fuck off, or orders. Why do we have to be told what to do so much! And none of you bastards are any help!"

There was silence. The drama was palpable, even to Ben, who could only hear what was said. His heart still raced with anticipation.

"Done with your tantrum? Shut the fuck up."

A new voice entered, female. "Unless you want your next orders to be fuck off, I think you oughtta do that." She was calm and enunciative.

There were sounds of scrambling. "Uh, hi, Missus Whirlygig," more than one voice said.

"I ain't no Missus. Piss off. Unless you wanna take a ride on the merry-go-round."

Nobody asked. It was silent.

Eventually a voice, which Ben recognized as Craig's, spoke up. "Nobody's gonna say it? Fine. The hell do you mean by merry-go-round?"

"My power, retard." Her explanation was met with a chorus of ahhs.

Aha, Ben remembered! Whirlygig was a cape in the Archer's Bridge Merchants, with the power to make stuff telekinetically circle around her. There wasn't much information on her, aside from the article, very particularly, specifying it only worked counter-clockwise. He supposed that made the rest of the folks members of the Merchants as well.

"So, what we here for? Somethin' you're callin' us for?"

"No shit we're callin' you here for somethin', retards," Whirlygig answered, "Squealer's gonna show, and we're gonna run over some ABB shitholes. Y'all're gonna fuck up any Asian Bitch Bastards who try to climb on or shit."

Her statements were met with laughter.

Ben considered things.

On one hand, villain vs. villain might not do any harm.

On the other hand, it probably would do harm, in the form of collateral damage and civilian casualties, and sooner or later would require a heroic response anyway.

It was Hero Time. Whirlygig didn't seem like a major threat. Let luck decide. He slammed on the Omnitrix.

What he got, he could work with.

* * *

The first anomaly was the mysterious cloud of bricks that fell off the roof, only missing the Merchants' heads by a couple of feet. Little was thought of it, and the conversation moved on.

The second anomaly was the whoopie cushion that appeared beneath the foot of the Merchant. Laughs and embarrassment were shared, and it would spurn jokes on Craig for as long as he stayed in the gang.

The third anomaly was the sudden tripping of a Merchant, who fell to the ground, but did not reach impact.

The final anomaly was that Merchant's failure to reach impact. In his careening flails, he grabbed something that suspended him just enough, nose an inch above the ground. He blessed his luck for having a torso to cling to.

Unfortunately, that torso did not seem to exist.

A purple body phased into appearance, lizard-like with swirling dark patterns and three colorful eyes. The arms of the Merchant were revealed to be wrapped around it.

The lizard smiled mischievously, before disappearing again. The suspended Merchant fell to the ground.

"A fuckin' cape!" The Merchants shouted.

* * *

The fun of invisibility was something Ben had nearly forgotten. He rarely used ChamAlien anymore. But oh, he had missed pranking criminals while happily unseen.

At first, he had merely climbed to the roof. There, he had discovered a load of bricks just waiting to drop. Though he made sure no Merchants were harmed in the making of the prank. Hijinks were best started small. Then quickly escalated into total war.

The group of Merchants, as he quickly found, loitered in a parking lot just outside of his window. Buildings and thick fences bordered it on three sides, with a small driveway leading to the road. Most of the gang members already ran off, be it from fear, or pain from an invisible punch. A couple might have been taken out by their boss' own friendly fire, though. At least one lay unconscious on the ground that Ben definitely did not remember hitting. Trash and litter were scattered about, but not on the ground. Several cars too, not in any parking spots.

This was because anything not bolted to the ground was in rapid flight around Whirlygig. The leaves, gravel, and cigarette buts made the effect clear enough, but the dust made the wind itself look solid.

Whirlygig herself wore a black and gray bodysuit, with a spiral painted on in white. Clearly a shoddy job, as it was warped at some points and blocky at others, with a splatter pattern around the shoulders. Her long hair billowed, as she made every object in the vicinity hurtle in her telekinetic tornado of terror.

A soda can crashed into Ben's head. "Agh!"

"Haha, bastard! I know I gotcha! Ain't so invisible when I know you're here, huh?" Whirlygig screeched.

Rubbing his head at a safe distance away, Ben lamented that truth. Looking down at his hands, even he could make out his outline. Camouflage was no true substitute for disappearance. It manifested as a distortion, easy to glance over, but obvious if one knew it was there.

When the fight had begun, he wove between projectiles. Casually punching the bewildered gang members, and even swiping his tail beneath Whirlygig's legs. She landed on her rear, and it was hilarious. But that streak ended when an old analog television got him square in the cheek. Then he had to narrowly sidestep a dirty swivel-chair. Before long, it was clear that with so much flying around, he didn't need to visible to be hit.

Of course, he was no slouch at dodging, so long as he remembered to watch. Three eyes were good for that job. And if he was quick, and just a little bit clever, he could make it very difficult to keep a bead on his location. So he darted forwards, on all fours with his head at the ground, heading towards the center of the cyclone.

A car flew three inches in front. He hopped up and grabbed on, clinging to the side that the villainess couldn't see. Poking his head over, he made himself visible.

"Do you really have to fling this cars around?" He said, with an inexplicably french accent. Whirlygig instantly turned, glaring. "People need these things! They have jobs to get to!"

The sentiment may have been wasted, though. The car he currently rode already made a sizable dent in itself. And in the building.

He ducked beneath a chunk of asphalt, before jumping to another car, even closer to the center. Reactivating his camouflage, he immediately jumped to another. The question of just which car he was behind, plus how fast they were moving, should have been just enough to make it easy to lose him.

He spoke again. "Of course, if these are your cars, you can wreck 'em all you want. Kinda a waste of money, though."

He jumped to the air. Newton's Third Law sent the car to the ground. It still revolved, but made an ear-wrenching screech.

As soon as he landed, Ben sprinted towards the center of the vortex. He played it right, and the Merchant villainess should have had no idea that he was right there and about to-

 _OW._

One roundhouse kick was delivered straight to his face, sending him skidding back a dozen feet.

"Retard," She said, "Ain't nothin' I gotta do but look at the shape of the dust 'round you. They don't call me the genius Merchant for nothin'."

At least it was more unexpected than painful. Though Ben wasn't sure why she was walking backwards-

 _CRASH._

The car got him right in the… well, all of him. He was knocked far away from the max vehicle radius. It would have flown above him, probably, if he hadn't made it slam into the ground.

And Gwen had told him strategy would do him good in a fight.

He pulled himself up. "Okay, maybe letting the Omnitrix randomly give me ChamAlien was a bad idea."

He put his hand on the symbol on his chest. "But just wait and see, Whirlygig. I'll show you who the world _really_ revolves around." He slammed down, and felt himself transform. The green light flashed.

In place of his previous lizard-like form was a tall figure, slender up until the wide chest. The surface was smooth, all around his lean lower body, black with thick yellow stripes. Or perhaps yellow with thick black stripes. This was not the time for that. In place of hands were two-fingered pincers, and his shoulders extended high up into sharp points. Between them was a silvery, metallic head, dotted with creases and bolts, with ovular green eyes and a subtle white glow surrounding it. Of course, few would register all of that, focusing instead on how it hovered, entirely unconnected to the body.

The lack of a neck seemed not to hinder his control of his body, as he moved up his hands and beheld them.

In an electronic voice, he said, "Lodestar! I was going for Gravattack, but this will be just fine."

Slowly, he walked. Whirlygig remained unfazed, tornado still turning.

His steady steps sent him on a collision course with a car. As it swung towards him, his arm shot out. A pulsing rhythm could be heard, as the car decelerated into stillness only an inch away from his hand.

The hand pointed towards the sky. The car followed. So did another car. And the broken TV, and a paperclip, and then another car. Everything metal gathered above him, and there was little left that wasn't. The cluster swayed in the direction of the telekinetic force, but remained above him.

"Fuck," Whirlygig said.

"What? Are you not attracted? Am I so repelling!"

"Ha. Ha." She sarcastically intoned, "I'll fucking-"

"Must be my magnetic personality!"

"YOU'RE A FUCKING MAGNET, I GET IT!"

Hearing that, Ben continued forwards, bringing his other arm parallel to the ground, pointing towards the supervillainess. Most of the cluster stayed in the air, but a single car followed, almost reaching the ground. "Fine. We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

The same pulsing sound could be heard again, before the car shot forwards. Whirlygig braced herself.

It passed only inches to her right.

"Are you gonna play nice? Or is the next car gonna have to hit you?" He asked. Whirlygig's expression showed deep, inner turmoil. Then she snarled.

A loud bang abruptly came from above, making both flinch.

A blinding spotlight shone into Ben's eyes, and a voice came from above.

"Whirlygig, you bitch. Still can't drop this fucker?" Someone, female, was yelling. "I'll take some fuckin' care of it!"

As she spoke, Ben hopped back, landing crouched with a hand on the ground. From there, the light was no longer glaring. He could finally see it.

A giant, mechanical abomination of a vehicle. It's creator obviously embraced from monster and forsook truck. Elegance was lost among what could be called function yet was closer to insanity. And yet one could not say it lacked extravagance, each metallic protrusion clearly used in some way or another, whether it was signalled by glowing lights or flowing emissions.

Nearly all was covered by hard metal. The enormous tires were rubber, but someone had clearly affixed steel spikes to them. Various grates decorated the front, some roaring or smoking. There may have been a helicopter blade in the mess, likely incorporated before it became quite so colossal. The headlights were two feet in diameter, but the spotlight at the top was at least four. Operating it appeared to be a woman, from a disorganized cockpit with glassless windows.

As the spotlight shut off, the figure became clear. Squealer, the Number 2 of the Merchants. He really should have guessed from the machinery.

"Hey bastard!" She revved the engine. The wheels began turning, slowly and intimidating. "Wanna be run the fuck over with twenty motherfucking tons of steel?"

It was Whirlygig who finally answered. "Squealer, you retard."

* * *

A few minutes later, Ben sat above a large dome of metal. The dome was formerly a large truck, but powers of magnetism were quite useful for dismantling such things. Ferrokinesis, it was called, at least according to Gwen.

There was more truck than he needed to create the dome. The rest was scattered throughout the parking lot, in approximately car-sized chunks. He doubted any single one contained enough parts to be dangerous, though he was careful around anything that looked like it might be a power source.

Of course, the separation of machinery and creation of a dome was not the most fun part of being Lodestar. Nor was it how he totally _owned_ Whirlygig.

The most fun part of being Lodestar was turning Squealer's truck upside down and shaking her out of the window. Only a few feet off the ground, of course. Didn't want to unnecessarily injure her. Just send her to jail.

After that, it was just a few quick bends in the metal, and he had a hollow, metal dome, inside of which was one drug-addicted villainess. Not airtight, of course, but she wouldn't be getting out unless she secretly possessed super-strength. He doubted that could be the case..

Yet despite his victory, Ben was frowning.

It was not the discomfort of dome-sitting that was responsible. To be honest, the dome did a pretty swell job as a seat.

Nor was it Squealer's persistence in verbally harassing him. And there was no lack of creativity there. One second it was a chain of at least nine "fuck you"s, the next she was using curse words he had never even heard of. She only stopped when he, quite intentionally audibly, stepped over to the hotel office to call the PRT. When he returned to the dome, he stepped lighter than a gazelle.

And it was not the excess of money that bulged in nearly all of his pockets. Of course not; money was rarely a bad thing, unless you had too much. And for the last few days, he certainly hadn't. He had spied as safe hidden in a corner of the cockpit of the truck. Its contents turned out to be the absolute best-case scenario, save for gold or diamonds. Though he had no idea why it was there. They couldn't very well expect to go to a drive-thru joint. He could think of at least four reasons why that was silly.

The reason for his frown, instead, was how Whirlygig managed to escape as he dealt with Squealer's truck. He wouldn't say right under his nose. Perhaps crawling up his nose.

She ran away while he wasn't looking. Towards the largest, most obvious exit. In a straight line.

At least he could say he hadn't heard her steps. Shaking around Squealer's truck made a lot of noise. So it was slightly more dignified than what it could have been.

He sighed aloud. Bad idea. Squealer heard.

"You still fucking there? Bastard! Fuck you in the ass! You're gonna fucking regret crossing us when Skidmark finds out!"

"Skidmark?" Ben frustratedly answered, "Seriously? I can't believe you're even a serious gang."

"FUCK YOU!"

"Oh, shut up!" Ben shouted, loudly kicking the dome. It seemed to echo, inside. He hopped off the dome and walked towards the side of the hotel. There, he leaned on the wall.

Letting Whirlygig go was a bad move. Negligence was no excuse. But was he supposed to carry around handcuffs or zip ties?

Of course not. He simply needed to do what he always did: have friends. Friends who helped fix his mistakes. Wait, that made him sound reckless and stupid.

He missed Gwen, Kevin, Grandpa Max, and Rook. But there was no point in moaning over it. A brand new universe had to have some cool new people. There usually were, in the universes he visited. And he already had one lined up. That Hivemind girl seemed cool enough. He'd definitely have to see about working with her.

Standing around was getting boring. He activated the Omnitrix. Something that could fly.

Stinkfly would be fine. He transformed, and flew to the sky.

With his four eyes, he scanned the streets. Ah, there it was. The PRT was on it's way to the site. Would be there soon, if he judged correctly. He swooped back down to the lot. Shooting some liquid, specifically non-corrosive, that spelled out a little message to the law enforcement officers.

Then he flew off into the sky.

In search of a new hotel.

* * *

"Colin," Dragon said, announcing her presence.

"Dragon," he responded, "This is earlier than normal. Is there any news?"

"There is," She paused for a moment, her avatar taking a breath. "As you were informed, a caller stated he had captured Squealer, and said he 'almost had Whirlygig, but she ran off.' When asked for a name, he simply stated he was the 'guy Armmaster met last night.'"

"I remember," Armsmaster said. There was nothing for sure, but it was good to know the new kid might be keep up the hero work.

"Upon investigation at the site, we found Squealer trapped inside a metal dome. It was seemingly made from the remains of her truck, the rest of which was scattered about the lot. Next to the lot was a hotel, which was quickly discovered to be a Merchant den. The PRT secured it promptly and without casualties. However, in the photos they took, I happened to notice something."

A notification appeared on Colin's screen. He tapped it, and an image appeared. It showed a hotel register. He read through it, finding what he expected near the bottom. A messy signature, yet it clearly said 'Ben K. Tennyson'.

He spoke again. "But why is this- ah, I see."

Dragon nodded. "I'm already checking hotel databases. Though I don't expect anything to turn up until tonight at the earliest."

"I assume you've already told Director Piggot."

Dragon responded by nodding again. "I thought you'd want to know," She said.

"You're usually right about those things. With that in mind, is there anything else you want to tell me?"

'There is," Dragon answered. "We have a few more hints at his powers. Some analysis of Squealer's vehicle indicates the presence of strong magnetic fields. Of course, we could already guess that by what the dome that trapped her was made of. There was also an adhesive, organic substance sprayed on the ground. Sticky enough that the trooper who stepped in it compared it to containment foam. Funny thing is, it spelled out 'you're welcome'. Y-O-U-R, actually."

Armsmaster half-laughed, half-groaned in response. Dragon continued. "There was also evidence of damage to Squealer's ear, though frankly that could be explained by a lot of things. Either way, it certainly is looking like Ben has a lot of forms. High changer rating, of course, and Director Piggot will probably want most ratings applied until we can actually confirm his heroic status. Anyway, enough about that. How's that blade idea you had going?"

"Not good right now," Armsmaster said. "Nanobots are as finicky as you'd expect, even with my specialty. Of course…"

The conversation lasted hours.

* * *

Skidmark threw the beer at the minion. Realizing there was a better method, he sent it flying with his power. At that point, the minion had already run off, leaving his boss's anger unquenched.

"FUCK THIS SHIT!" He screamed. "This hero bastard will fuckin' _rue_ the day he took Skidmark's woman! Mark my motherfuckin' words!"

* * *

Coil wiped the tears from his eyes. Oh, joy. Maybe having a camera on the leader of the Merchants wasn't strategically necessary, but it was well worth it for the comedy.

* * *

 _I know what you all are thinking. Where did Ben get the whoopie cushion? Haha, wouldn't you like to know?_

 _There were a few difficulties starting this, but I suddenly got on a roll and wrote a ton in one sitting. Then I hit a major roadblock. I eventually worked past that, and got this chapter mostly finished. Then I sat on it for a while without adding the finishing touches. Then I added the finishing touches. Then I posted it._

 _Sorry it took so long. Please review it or something!_


	5. Chapter 5

_Finally here with a new chapter for y'all. Once again, apologies for the wait. Enjoy._

* * *

Taylor Hebert sat in the library. After the unexpected encounter with Ben, she wasted a couple more hours in on the internet. When she was refreshing PHO every two seconds, she realized how low she had sunk. So she reluctantly gave up her computer and found a quiet corner in which she could work through her reading assignment. It wasn't hard to find one. Libraries were mostly comprised of quiet corners.

The Triumvirate biography was as idealized as she had assumed. Leave it to schools to brainwash children. She struggled to keep her attention on it for more than an hour. For that reason, the sparse crowd walking towards the exit easily caught her eye. That meant it was a reasonable time to leave. With far more than enough patriotic propaganda running through her thoughts, she said her goodbyes to the library and made it outside. Just in time to see the bus depart

The walk home would be bearable, especially with all the exercise of the past few months. On the other hand, the bus would take less time. As long as it wasn't late.

So she sat in the bus stop and read more propaganda.

Unfortunately, the bus _was_ late. When it finally arrived, seven minutes past the schedule, Taylor jumped up to enter before anyone else. She picked a spot far from the door, but not quite at the back. She scooted into the window seat, and soon after a hispanic woman holding a bundled baby sat next to her.

The bus screeched and started.

It didn't take much deliberation to decide to leave the book in her backpack. The ride was bumpy, thanks to both cheap buses and cheap roads, and if she absorbed one more "fact" she was likely to scream.

As she stared out the window, at the cars that overtook her, she absorbed the fact that a monstrous, human-sized bug was zooming through the sky, just above.

She screamed.

And then she enjoyed the sight of every head in the bus staring at her.

Momentarily, she was distracted from the crisis of the giant bug. There had to be a way to play it off. To deflect the judgment of total strangers.

The baby wailed.

"S-sorry," She managed to croak out, to the mother and to everyone. The mother lifted her child and switched to the seat across the aisle. Taylor didn't meet her eyes, but felt the disapproval.

Leaning down and staring, she cringed at the last few moments. Stupid giant bug-

Fuck! The giant bug! Her attention was stolen by her own social awkwardness, but she still felt it with her bug-sense. It was falling, right on the-

 _THWUMP_.

The bus-riders jumped, and their eyes converged at the ceiling. Taylor's did too, and what she saw was worrying. It was slight, but they could see it.

They could see there was a dent.

Taylor thanked god that she hadn't publicly debuted as a hero. If someone successfully saw the bug, associated the sight with the nearby screaming girl, and knew of the local teenage bug master...

Well, it sounded kind of far-fetched when she thought it out. Of course she would be known for bugs, but that wouldn't imply she was somehow responsible for this monstrosity. The panic was baseless.

She took a deep breath, and instead of worrying, put her mind to getting a look at the bug herself. She'd have to move it off of the bus first, but she could already sense that it was mobile. Her head lowered again. This time not out of embarrassment, but to facilitate focus.

First observation: It wasn't sleeping, unconscious, or dead. Rather, it's unexpected, unexpecting puppeteer had been too startled to issue any commands. "Fuck!" was _not_ a command.

Second observation: There was much to be learned before she could bring it before her eyes. She could use her power to feel the shape of the body, in the way one naturally knew where their own arm was. The ability wasn't known as a sense, like the more famous five. But it was real, and she used it. She stretched the bug's neck, and knew that the head lay on its side. She wiggled the limbs, and knew there were six. Four legs, and two arms that ended in fingers, which she wiggled, and knew there were three on each end. She opened the mouth, and knew that surely enough, it had a mouth.

The eyes, however, surprised her. Not human, but not bug either. Still, past experience had left Taylor well ready to adapt to unusual ocular input. More challenging was operating the four tentacle-like appendages that each had an eye on the end. They could twist to see in any direction at all.

Where could the creature have come from? A tinker jumped to mind. Not one in particular, though she could think of at least one that worked with biology. Most people tried to keep them out of mind, so never mind that thought. A tinker may have created it. Hopefully a hero, or some kind of rogue. She'd hate to see beasts like that roaming the city, possibly attacking people. At least, if that were the case, her power could easily stop them.

The city bus shrieked and shuddered, as it slowed for the next stop. Whoops. Her plan had been to fly the bug away before some curious bus rider could snap a photo with their phone. Stupid-phone havers. Okay, maybe she was just jealous.

The wings were all that were left to experiment with, anyway. She gave them an experimental flap, and - _whoa!_

Turned out they were like dragonfly wings. _Very_ fast. They had to be, to keep such a large creature in the air. The bug shot up a few feet, before gravity did its job and slammed it back into the bus roof. People jumped again, and the dent deepened. The bus driver swore.

The doors had already begun opening. Taylor had to move fast. Or rather, the bug did. She immediately accelerated it to the skies. The wings were put to good use.

Taylor's pair of eyes stayed down. The bug's right pair of eyes stayed ahead, to prevent bird crashes. But the left pair twisted back, to watch the bus riders exit. By the time a line of sight was shared, the humans were but a blur. That meant it was a blur as well, to them.

Taylor and the bug were safe. She allowed herself a smile. Looking down, it was for nobody's pleasure but her own. The crisis was unexpected, but she handled it competently.

To be honest, it probably wouldn't have been a big deal. This was Brockton Bay. Capes were seen, and often too. Monster capes could be found in the alleys, if the rumors were true. Rumors did have to start somewhere.

Heh, she laughed to herself, knowing the joke before she even thought it in words. This was Brockton Bay. The baby across the aisle had probably already witnessed three Lung-Kaiser incidents, with a Hookwolf assault to boot.

Speaking of that. Her cape life. It could never really leave her mind these days, like how the bug couldn't really leave her range.

Things weren't… discouraging, per se. Worrying was the better word. Meeting Ben had motivated her. Both times, to be honest, as big of a dork as he was. But she could feel the shadows of inadequacy lurking in the corners by her conscience. She didn't do much against Lung. She got the heroes into a bunch of trouble. Her ass was basically saved by Ben.

But who knew. Maybe Ben would save her ass a few more times, and she could even return the favor. He had offered to work together. Maybe they would. He was a dork, but to be honest she was too. A team of heroes could only work when one member had the jokes and another snarked at each one. Okay, that sounded like a slightly cheesy Ben would say.

Of course, there were only two of them. A team? She was getting ahead of herself. But it felt more… comfortable, than the Wards did. She knew Ben. That made it better.

But speaking of teaming up…

Could she team up with the giant bug she had just found? It was still in range, sneaking above buildings so nobody would see it, two blocks perpendicular from the bus's route. Her initial thought was "AAAAAUGH!", but her second thought that it was some kind of monster. Tinker-made, maybe, but who knew? She had half a thought to make it her sidekick. Her mascot. Her main fighting force. She could become more than a support cape, who had to think cleverly to make a difference.

But what if it wasn't a monster, but a monster cape? Some unlucky bastard that triggered into a fearful creature, who was unluckier still and got into her range.

God, that made her feel… _dirty_ , like she hadn't felt since before she got used to being with bugs all the time.

Well, she already planned on getting a close look at the bug. Maybe she'd try to apologize. Only, she couldn't talk with it, because it would be controlled within any reasonable distance.

Her mind wandered. What if that happened to _every_ sentient being she met? God, it would be horrifying. Reigning dominion over anyone nearby, but nobody to talk to. And she'd feel so bad. Apologizing to everyone she controlled, but they'd be as unresponsive as bugs. She'd get birdcaged. She'd get a _kill order_.

That got depressing. She was glad it wasn't the story she lived. Though it made possibly-accidentally mastering a maybe-monster cape seem much more manageable. Controlling bugs was certainly weaker, but she could actually be a hero.

Time to get off the bus. Once again, it shook and screamed, but this time only a few minutes from her house. She stood up and kept her eyes forwards. Hopefully nobody was still judging her. All that thinking, and she nearly forgot about how she embarrassed herself.

She stepped out the door. "Good riddance," She imagined people saying.

As soon as the bus left, she ran. Away from the other bus-exiters, away from any hint of another person. She even reached out with her bugs–her _normal_ bugs–to sense for people in houses, and whether those houses had open windows.

Finally, she made it to her house. It was only a block away from the bus stop, of course. There were a few people walking around at this hour, but she wouldn't have to worry about that in the backyard, thanks to the wooden fence. The neighboring houses were mostly empty, and with her bugs' limited sight, she could tell that the windows were all curtained. If that changed, or anyone moved nearby, she'd know.

She ran onto the porch, and into the door. At this point, she could hear the buzz of the bug's wings, but didn't look. As she darted through the kitchen and out the back door, she flew the bug over the roof.

Outside, she lowered the bug onto the messy grass.

It had a long, white body. Or thorax, to be precise. She knew the term from all her insect research. But there was no thick abdomen, as most insectile creatures had. Instead, the thorax tapered off into a narrow tail, before ending at a thick, black… stinger? She hadn't noticed that when feeling with her power.

The limbs she knew were a dull green, though the hands were black. Speaking of color, the body had a few black stripes across the front. The head was black too, though the eye tentacles were the same green as the limbs.

The green of the wings, however, was lighter. Yet dull still. What came unexpected, though, was the shape. Giant cavities stole from the possible surface area. That couldn't be efficient for flight. Though it made the speed at which they oscillated more impressive still.

That silliness barely held her attention. Instead, she stared, no, glared at the center of the head. The eyes came out of the side, but the normal spot still housed something. A symbol. A circular symbol. A symbol with a bright green hourglass shape, on a black background.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me, Ben."

* * *

Ben Tennyson awoke with a headache. He kept his eyes shut.

What was he doing that left him with pain? And not just in the head. Oh, he ached in many places.

He reached back into his memory. Flying over buildings, close to the roofs. Wait, no, that was a dream. And a stupid dream, anyway. The right way to fly was in open air, so that onlookers could gaze at their hero and know that he would always save the day.

Before that, then. He crashed into a city bus. No, that was still in the dream.

Or was it?

Ben had crashed into his fair share of city buses over the course of his career. It was an occupational hazard. Most of those crashes had happened while he was in alien form, and many of them were as aliens with flight. Enough were as Stinkfly for him to know he was hurting in _all the right places_ , for a city bus crash to be the explanation.

But no, that was definitely a dream. The images, the sounds, the _pain_ all felt more vivid the more he thought about it, but he did not make those decisions. No, something else was going on.

He opened his eyes and saw nothing but a dark green. It was probably grass, considering how it brushed into his face.

He turned himself over, and saw a backyard. A messy one, with little in it. No toys, bikes, tables, or even trees. A tarp covered something by the side of the house, probably a grill.

That house was wooden, with boards coated with peeling blue paint. It was tall, and had squarely arranged windows. The design was colonial, or something like that, that a house expert or Gwen would probably know the word for.

From within the house, something bumped. Loudly.

Still sitting, Ben leaned forwards to hear it.

It sounded like somebody running down a staircase. Then quickly turning around and bumping against all sort of walls and furniture, in order to get somewhere in a hurry. The knocking almost made it to the back door, about to reveal its image to Ben, when it abruptly stopped. Very abruptly. He could hear the skidding on the floor, as whoever was running decided they weren't ready just yet.

Well, Ben had time to spare. There weren't any video games he was meaning to finish, as they were all back in his home universe. And that fact had caused him serious turmoil last night.

There was another bump, though the person didn't reveal themselves just yet. It occurred to Ben that whoever was responsible might be a villain. After all, villains could live in perfectly ordinary-looking houses.

He jerked his right arm to rest over the Omnitrix, just in case, and tried to scuttle backwards, though it was hard to do so while sitting and with only one arm on the ground. He was already on the opposite end of the yard, but every inch might help.

The figure emerged, pushing the creaky door open. Too slow, to be honest. Was he going for drama? The creaking killed any of that, and was really annoying.

Ben's first thought, upon seeing her, was that she did not look like somebody who was just haphazardly rushing and making noise. Her movements were controlled, as she stepped down the concrete stairs, not partaking in the railing. She must have been taking a moment to calm down before exiting. It was a tad hard to take her seriously for that, but judging off of first impressions was rude.

That was moot, however, because it wasn't his first impression. Because his second thought was that he recognized that mask. Dark, with the large glossy eyes, above the skin-tight but thick, gray suit, with darker plates of armor.

"Hey!" He said, genuinely smiling, "It's you! Mistress Insect!"

Mistress Insect's mask's mouthpiece might have moved downward a centimeter, but before she could say a word, Ben was already correcting his statement. "No, it wasn't Mistress Insect, sorry. Queen Bee?"

"Uh," Queen Bee said. Whatever composure she had was treated like a bug was when it flew into a glass window.

By this point, Ben's hand was at his chin rather than the Omnitrix, and his mouth was curled in confusion. "No, it wasn't Queen Bee either. Stinger Machine?"

Stinger Machine's restricted body language was gone, replaced by resting, slightly hunched shoulders, and dangling arms. She wouldn't say it, but she honestly wanted to see if Ben would get it right.

He continued. "No, that one doesn't even make sense. You're not really a machine. Hmm, Bug Bomber? Hive Queen? Venom? Sorry, I kinda hit my head a few times in the last few hours, and the ache is killing me. Wait a second. One of those sounded pretty close. Was it… Bug Bomber? Was that it?"

The teenaged girl cape with many names finally spoke, exasperatedly. "No, it's Hivemind."

Ben clapped. "Hivemind! I should have thought of that."

"You did think of it, remember?" Hivemind answered. She might have been smiling, but the mask revealed nothing.

"Heh, I did, didn't I?" Ben remarked. "So, what brings you here? Or actually, what brings me here? The last thing I remember doing was flying around, then I woke up with aches all over me."

Hivemind started walking towards him. "It's kinda obvious when you think about it. You were that bug thing-"

"Stinkfly, and he's an alien," Ben interrupted her.

"Uh, sure. You were the alien Stinkfly, which is a bug. I control bugs. You kind of," She shrugged, with her hands facing upwards, "flew right into my range, and, uh, crashed into a bus. That I was riding."

"I see. Well, can't blame you for that," Ben said. Hivemind made it to him, and extended a hand down. Ben took her up on the offer, and pulled himself up onto his feet. She was slightly taller than him, which, as he remembered, was also true the night before.

He continued. "But next time, maybe keep me in the air. Or could you just fling me out of your mind control area? I wasn't really today, but I could be in a hurry somewhere?"

Ben still couldn't see a smile on her face, but it was definitely present in her voice. "Well, I was surprised. You don't usually see giant bugs flying around, even in Brockton Bay. I daresay it threw me for a loop."

Ben smiled. She continued. "Also, it is _not_ a mind control area. You're just a weird exception."

This time, Ben laughed. Hivemind hesitated, then quietly joined in chuckling. As the conversation paused, Ben looked around at the scenery. Something caught his eye.

"Wait a moment. You found a weird, giant bug flying around, and you took it to your house?"

"Uh," she said, "You don't know that it's my house."

"Well, it's got to be either that or your secret base. And nobody would pick a place like this to be a base, no offense. Though I guess it's unassuming enough."

Hivemind looked at him. "Fine, you got me. This is where I was riding the bus to, and I knew it'd be empty. Also, my costume was in here. Forgive me, but I'm not quite ready to let anyone know who I am, just yet."

Ben suddenly leaned inwards. He raised his arm, and waggled his finger in the air. "Ah, but if you were worried about that, didn't you think of how I could use your house to find you? I could just knock on the door and see who answered it. And then ask them what teenage girl lives here, if it's someone else who answers."

Ben lowered his finger as he realized that Hivemind froze. And he became distinctly aware of the nearby bugs, and their steadily rising buzz. He resisted the urge to palm the Omnitrix.

"But…" He said, "I'll just not do that, sure. I don't even know the address, though I guess I could just go around and look… which I definitely won't do either!"

The buzzing died down, and Hivemind started to move again. "Okay, I'll trust you on that. I'm not really comfortable with people knowing, yet, not even-"

"Taylor!" Somebody shouted. The voice was mature, male, and came from inside the house. "Taylor! Are you there?"

Hivemind suddenly froze again, and the bugs buzzed harder. Then she lowered her tense shoulders, made the bugs go silent again, and said, "Shit."

She stepped towards Ben, and spoke in a hushed voice, "Listen, we just started talking, but I really don't want-"

"Say no more," He said, already browsing the Omnitrix's display, "I'll get out of here. Telling parents about your hero life is the _worst_. Though I don't think my dad was quite as bad about it as my mom, but don't get caught anyway. Let's meet up another time."

Hivemind seemed momentarily distraught, then nodded. "Thanks. I'll just go in- No, I can't do that dressed like this. I'll, uh, sneak around the house, then try to get in to get changed without him seeing me."

Ben was still staring at the Omnitrix. "Not Stinkfly again, no… oh yeah, sure. Good plan, but be careful."

He slammed down on it. And the next thing he knew, he was XLR8. Hivemind had covered her eyes with her arm, but was already lowering it, and staring at his alien form with (he assumed) wide eyes.

"I'll see you around," He said, before pausing, "Taylor," He finished.

"Wait, you-" She said, her name revealed.

Then he sped off into the city.

* * *

Danny Hebert had gotten off of work relatively early enough. It could have been earlier. For the next big job, there was not much more to do but wait, for the Mayor's decision. And that meant not much work for the guys who managed the Union. But while he had been wrapping up his business, he got a call from an old colleague, who had, thanks to the bad financial situation, resorted to joining the Merchants. He seemed to be out of that gang, finally, and wanted to know of the jobs were any better.

Danny wished he could have given him good news, but they had to make do on hopes, and some meaningless promises. Nevertheless, one less man in the gangs, and one more looking for honest hard work, was always something to be happy about.

As that nagged on his mind, he finished driving home, parking the car in the driveway. He unlocked the door, and entered to find Taylor's coat hanging in the closet.

School was out, so it wasn't out of the question for her to have come home. He called out, "Taylor?"

He was answered with silence, as he walked into the living room. There, her bag was home too. He called out louder, "Taylor! Taylor! Are you there?"

There was no answer. Until he heard what _might_ have been people speaking. From the backyard. He walked to the kitchen and pushed open the back door.

"Taylor?" He called out, once more. But there was nothing, to his ears or his eyes.

Well, perhaps she went out. Maybe she was spending time with friends. That'd be good. Or at least, she might have gone over to the library. She would certainly show up back at home soon enough, or call. He trusted her.

He shut the back door, and locked it. Strange. It hadn't been locked when he opened it. No matter.

Settling down on the comfy chair in the living room, he turned on the TV and set it to a classic sitcom, one he remembered watching with Taylor when she was young. Haha, Joey was being a goofball once again. And Chandler, always with the laughs.

Danny adjusted his rear and got more comfortable.

A few minutes later, he heard the door slam open. Then loud running, up the stairs, above him.

He leaned forwards to get up. Taylor was finally home. With a skip in his step, he climbed the staircase and arrived at her room. Strangely enough, it was locked. He knocked.

"One sec, Dad!" Taylor said, with an air of franticness.

"No problem, Taylor," Danny answered. He waited. Less than a minute later, she opened the door.

Her hair was slightly disheveled, but otherwise she looked normal. Her hands grabbed each side of the doorway. "Hey dad, sorry I wasn't home when you got here."

"Don't worry about it. But were you out? Partying on the town?" He had a silent laugh. Silent, but plenty mirthful. It was just funnier if he spoke intensely. Parenting 101.

"Daaad," Taylor whined, "No, I wasn't doing anything. I did actually make a new friend, though."

"Oh really? What's her name?"

"His name's Ben."

Danny raised an eyebrow. "A boy? I hope nothing scandalous is going-"

"Stop it, dad. I've got some homework to do."

"Alright. Dinner's gonna happen in a couple hours. I've got plenty of time, so I'm thinking something a bit fancier than normal."

"'kay," Taylor said, already shutting the door.

Oh, kids, Danny thought. But a boy, that was interesting. Probably as unimportant as she wanted him to believe, but that was just what she wanted him to believe.

He went downstairs and began planning dinner.

* * *

 _Done, at 4300 words, which is a lot more than I expected to put in for this chapter. Many of you predicted that Stinkfly would run into Taylor's range. The odds of that are actually quite low, as in this point in canon Taylor's range is only 2-3 blocks. But I had it as an optional plan from the start, and decided to go for it because despite it being hard to write, the other option was even harder. Too bad that the other option still has to happen. I have merely delayed the struggle._

 _Taylor seems to be more relevant in this story than I planned, but I've got no problem with it. I think she has a lot of chemistry with Ben in their conversation here, which I didn't plan either. It just flowed out of me. I hope it reads well._

 _A lot has happened in one in-story day, eh? Next chapter, we'll move forwards in time a bit. It's probably obvious where we'll go next._

 _Please read the chapter, but if you're reading this, you probably already have. Please review the chapter, which you may not have gotten around to yet. And tell me what you thought of it._


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